Updated Guidelines Shed Light on Using Radiation Against Brain Metastases
The American Society for Radiation Oncology recently released a new clinical guideline that offers guidance on how radiation therapy should be used when treating brain metastases. Brain metastases are tumors that develop when cancer cells from a primary tumor located in another part of the body — mostly melanoma, breast cancer or lung cancer — spread to a patient’s brain. These tumors develop in about 40% of individuals who have already been diagnosed with cancer, with almost 200,000 new cases being diagnosed annually in America. Radiation therapy is usually used to manage these brain tumors, providing patients relief from dizziness, headaches and…