In a nutshell This study investigated whether surgery before immunotherapy was more effective than immunotherapy alone for patients with melanoma that spread to the brain. This study concluded that patients who had surgery before immunotherapy survived for longer than patients who only had immunotherapy. Some background Melanoma is one of...
Read More
In a nutshell This study wanted to analyze the outcomes of patients with breast cancer that has come back into the brain and who needed salvage radiotherapy to the brain. The study found that performing radiotherapy on the brain was effective in controlling the cancer in these patients. Some background Breast cancer can often spread...
Read More
In a nutshell This article investigated the safety and effectiveness of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for patients with melanoma and untreated brain metastasis (the spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body). The authors concluded that this therapy is safe and can improve the...
Read More
In a nutshell This study looked at two medications for treatment of melanoma, nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy), and analysed how well they worked in patients who have melanoma which has spread to the brain. The study found that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab had significant clinical benefit in patients with melanoma with brain...
Read More
In a nutshell This study investigated whether the risk of developing melanoma brain metastases (MBM) and survival among patients with MBM has changed since the introduction of more effective therapies. The results found the overall survival for patients with MBM has improved significantly since 2011. Some background In more than 33% of patients...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This phase 3 trial aims to compare an investigational drug to standard chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with brain metastases. The main outcome to be investigated is overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause). Another outcome to be measured is progression free survival (time from treatment until disease...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This phase 2 trial will clinical trial will test the effectiveness of lorlatinib in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) mutations. The primary outcome will be measured by the rate at which the disease spreads to the central nervous system (CNS). The...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This phase 2 clinical trial will test the effectiveness of ceritinib (Zykadia) treatment, in treating ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The primary outcome will be measured by the disease response to treatment. The details Some lung cancers are associated...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study examined the effectiveness and safety of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) as treatment for BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Researchers concluded that vemurafenib is an effective treatment option for patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma and brain metastasis (BM; spread to the brain). Some background Over 40% of melanoma patients...
Read More
In a nutshell The authors evaluated the effect of combination treatment of nivolumab (Opdivo) and a type of radiation therapy for the treatment of melanoma spread to the brain. The authors found out that this radiation therapy was well tolerated and produced better survival in melanoma patients who also received nivolumab. Some background In...
Read More
In a nutshell The authors reviewed different treatment options for melanoma that spread to brain. This included surgery and combination treatment, among others, and scope for future treatments. Some background In advanced melanoma, the cancer often spreads to the brain. This is called brain metastasis. This affects quality of life and also...
Read More
In a nutshell This study looked at the benefits of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in treating patients with lung cancer and brain metastases (cancer that has spread to the brain). Some background Lung cancer is the most common cause of brain metastases (BM). The usual treatment in this scenario is both radiation and...
Read More
