Brain metastases
What are brain metastases?
Brain metastases are tumors that have spread to the brain from a primary cancer located elsewhere in the body. Almost any cancer can spread to the brain, but it most often occurs with lung, breast, colon, skin (melanoma), and kidney cancers. Surgery and therapies can treat your symptoms, improve your quality of life, and help you live longer.
Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center is a national leader in brain tumor care. A multispecialty group of experts work together to evaluate you and create a treatment plan based on your needs. With a skilled surgical team that performs thousands of procedures every year and nurse navigators to help you coordinate your care, you can count on us to bring you the care and support you need when facing a diagnosis of brain metastases.
How brain metastases may affect you
Brain metastases symptoms result from the pressure the tumor puts on your brain. Not everyone will have symptoms. If you do, you might experience:
- Headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Seizures
- Vision difficulties
- Weakness, difficulty moving or paralysis
- Cognitive impairment, including problems with speech, focus, or memory
- Fatigue
Causes of brain metastases
Cancer from another part of the body can spread through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to the brain to cause brain metastases. Most cases of brain metastases stem from lung cancer, but it can also occur if you have breast cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer, or colon cancer.
Diagnosis of brain metastases
To confirm a tumor in your brain, your doctor will order one or more imaging tests. Sometimes part of the tumor need to be removed to determine where the cancer originated.
Nationally recognized for brain tumor care
Your treatment options depend on the origin of the cancer, as different tissue cells will respond better to some therapies over others. Often, treatment of brain metastases typically requires some form of radiation with or without surgery. At Penn Medicine, our experienced specialists provide the most advanced, precision treatments for brain tumors.
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Patient stories
Real-time tumor assessment brings relief
“Hearing my results right away and walking away from an appointment with a game plan lets me enjoy my life between scans,” said Lynn Oxenberg.
Before launching a new CNN show, journalist Kasie Hunt had a brain tumor removed
“There’s nowhere in the world I would rather have this done than at Penn.”
An unexpected diagnosis and a surreal surgery
“No one ever wants to go through this, but having this support system in place for my own journey has helped me to feel like I’m in the best hands at every turn.”
Former news anchor recounts brain surgery at Penn Medicine
“I was a Penn Medicine brain surgery patient. I am also a woman thriving now with a healthy brain.”
How a brain tumor helped cyclist Chris Baccash change his life
It would have been understandable for the Doylestown, PA, native to feel despondent about the road ahead. But he had a different reaction to the news.
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