Clinical Trials for Brain Metastases
What is a Metastatic Brain Tumor?
A metastatic brain tumor, or ‘secondary’ brain tumor, originates from cancer in another part of the body.
Up to 40 percent of systemic cancer patients develop brain metastases. These tumors can present as solitary masses or as multiple lesions in the brain. As metastatic brain tumors grow, they create pressure on and change the function of surrounding brain tissue.
What types of cancer spread to the brain?
Any cancer can spread to the brain, but the most common sources of brain metastases are cancers from the lung, breast, colon, kidney, and skin.
Metastatic Brain Cancer Symptoms
Metastatic brain tumor symptoms vary widely depending on the type, location, size and growth rate of the tumor. There is no set of symptoms that are attributable to a single type of brain tumor.
General symptoms of brain tumors include:
- New onset or change in pattern of headaches
- Headaches that gradually become more frequent and more severe
- New onset of seizures
- Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg
- Difficulty with balance
- Difficulty speaking
- Personality or behavior changes
- Confusion
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision, double vision, or loss of peripheral vision
- Hearing problems
Contact your physician if you have a recent history of cancer and are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Phase 0 Clinical Trials for Brain Metastases Treatment
Our clinical trials target a variety of metastatic tumors, with entry criteria in some studies restricted to the cancer-of-origin and, in other studies, determined purely by the genetic abnormalities of the tumor, irrespective of its origin.
If you have undergone MR imaging and it demonstrates concern for brain metastases, you may be a candidate for one of our Phase 0 clinical trials. Our Phase 0 studies provide you with information you can use right now to make informed treatment decisions. This knowledge allows you to have a voice in your care and places some control back into your hands.
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Nader Sanai
Am I Eligible?
View a list of our open trials and receive a free trial screening to determine your eligibility.
