<% strPathPics = Session("strPathPicsL") imgBg = strPathPics + Session("strMedia") %> Metastatic Disease 2

Metastatic Disease - Breast Cancer - Case 1

A 53 year-old woman with breast cancer presented with focal seizures of the right side.

Note the Ill-defined Abnormality on T1                                      Show the Gadolinium Enhancement of the Tumor

Metastatic Brain Tumor (Breast Cancer): (Left) T1-weighted axial MRI; (Right) T1-weighted with gadolinium axial MRI. Note the well-defined nodular mass in the left frontal lobe on the gadolinium enhanced scan. This case demonstrates the value of using gadolinium enhanced scans in detecting metastatic lesions on MRI.

Metastatic disease from primary tumors elsewhere in the body account for approximately 50% of all brain tumors. Metastases to the brain are nearly always via the blood stream. They are typically found at the junctions between the gray and white matter, which are highly vascular. Metastatic lesions commonly present with focal or focal to generalized seizures or slowly progressive neurological deficits. When the lesions become very large, signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure develop (i.e., headache, lethargy, nausea and vomiting). The most common primary tumors that metastasize to the brain are lung and breast. Other tumors may also spread to the brain, including melanoma, lymphoma, GI, and GU cancers. In some cases, it is the metastatic lesion in the brain, and not the primary tumor, that brings the patient to medical attention.


Revised 11/29/06.
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston