Future Directions and Emerging Approaches in the Treatment of Brain Metastases

The management of brain metastases is increasingly complex and requires multidisciplinary input from a wide array of experts, including radiation oncology, medical oncology, neurosurgery, and palliative care. Novel radiation techniques, radiosensitization, combination approaches with systemic therapy and approaches to penetrate or bypass the blood-brain barrier represent some of the more promising strategies that have the potential to improve outcomes of brain metastases patients. A better understanding of the biology and development of brain metastases may allow for greater efforts towards prevention. Rigorous, well-designed clinical trials addressing specific challenges of the brain metastasis population will be necessary to evaluate these novel approaches.