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Novel Treatment Strategies for Brain Metastases in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer

  • Lung Cancer (HA Wakelee, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Brain metastases are common in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and due to associated poor prognosis, this field is an important area of need for the development of innovative medical therapies. Therapies including local approaches through surgical intervention and/or radiation and evolving systemic therapies have led to improvements in the treatment of brain metastases in patients with lung cancer. Strategies that consider applying advanced radiation techniques to minimize toxicity, intervening early with effective systemic therapies to spare radiation/surgery, testing radiosensitization combinations, and developing drug penetrant molecules have and will continue to define new practice patterns. We believe that in carefully considered asymptomatic patients, first-line systemic therapy may be considered before radiation therapy and small-molecule targeted therapy may provide an opportunity to defer radiation therapy for recurrence or progression of disease. The next several years in oncology drug development will see the reporting on of brain penetrant molecules in oncogene-defined non-small cell lung cancer. Ongoing studies will evaluate immunotherapies in patients with brain metastases with associated endpoints. We hope that continued drug development and carefully designed clinical trials may afford an opportunity to improve the lives of patients with brain metastases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, UCSD Moores Cancer Center, San Diego, CA, USA

    Nam Bui M.D. & Hatim Husain M.D.

  2. Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, UCSD Moores Cancer Center, San Diego, CA, USA

    Brian Woodward, Anna Johnson & Hatim Husain M.D.

  3. 3855 Health Sciences Dr. #0987, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Hatim Husain M.D.

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  1. Nam Bui M.D.
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Bui, N., Woodward, B., Johnson, A. et al. Novel Treatment Strategies for Brain Metastases in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 17, 25 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-016-0400-x

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