A Brief Overview of Neurosurgical Management for Breast Cancer Metastasis

Despite advances in chemotherapy and radiation, stage IV breast cancer presents a serious challenge to clinicians in light of the continued poor outcomes for patients. Stage IV breast cancer frequently metastasizes to the brain often necessitating neurosurgical intervention. The goals of the neurosurgeon are to adequately address metastatic disease to the central nervous system, limit morbidity for the patients, while preserving as much neurologic function as possible, and to help guide next steps regarding need for radiation and immunotherapy. In this review, we provide a background overview of the role of neurosurgery in managing stage IV metastatic breast cancer involving the brain, discuss what is known about brain metastasis, and highlight avenues for future study and investigation.