While brain metastasis cannot be cured, the symptoms can often be controlled. Treatment can improve the patient’s quality of life . Survival rates of brain metastasis depend on many factors, such as the origin of the cancer, if it has spread to other parts of the body, and how the cancerous cells respond to treatment. The number of brain metastasis also plays a role. For those suffering from brain metastasis, available treatments include:

• Radiation Therapy – Also called radiotherapy, this form of treatment uses targeted radiation to destroy cancer cells and preserve healthy cells. Radiation therapy is often very effective at treating brain metastasis, since the radiation can penetrate the blood brain barrier and can penetrate the brain to kill cancer cells.

• Surgery – usually used in the case of a single brain metastasis, surgical treatment will not only help more accurately diagnose the extent of brain metastasis, but also help relieve pressure on the brain for some much needed relief.

• Chemotherapy – This method uses medication to kill the cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy can sometimes have a limited effect when treating brain metastasis due to the blood-brain barrier, which restricts what can travel from the blood into the brain. While this barrier may prevent some chemotherapy drugs from entering the brain, there are newer drugs which show promise.

At Mat-su Radiation Oncology Center, we specialize in helping patients fight cancer with radiation focused treatments that are safe and effective. External beam radiation therapy is one such treatment method that can help combat various forms of cancer, including brain metastasis. Our doctors and caring staff are passionate about making treatment as comfortable as possible for our patients, and with external beam radiation therapy, treatment sessions only last a few minutes and are completely painless.

When treating brain metastasis, external beam radiation therapy can be used to treat the entire brain, or target specific parts of the brain affected by the cancerous or malignant cells with more concentrated radiation called “stereotactic radiosurgery”. It is also possible for both of these treatment methods to be used simultaneously. When you choose Mat-su Radiation Oncology Center, you also have access to Alaska’s only state-of-the-art, frameless stereotactic radiosurgery system, The Alaska CyberKnife Center at Providence Cancer Center in Anchorage.

Before treatment begins, your physician will meet with you to review your treatment options. If external beam radiation therapy is deemed the best treatment option for you, the doctor will start a process called “simulation” to map the areas that require treatment using x-rays and CT scans. A custom, plastic mask is usually used to keep you in position during treatment.

Download a helpful brochure from www.rtanswers.org

*Content provided by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, www.rtanswers.org, and the American Cancer Society.