Brain metastases are also much more common. An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people are diagnosed with a brain metastasis each year, compared to about 17,000 diagnoses for primary brain tumors.

The number of brain metastasis diagnoses has actually risen recently. Many doctors believe this is due to better early detection of brain metastases, as well as better treatments for primary cancers. As more people live longer with a primary cancer, the disease has more time to spread to the brain. This has led to a renewed focus on treating brain metastases.

Any cancer can spread to the brain, but the three most likely to do so are breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma. Other cancers that often spread to the brain include colon cancer, gynecologic cancers and renal cell carcinoma.

A cancer can metastasize (or spread) to a single location or to multiple locations in the brain. It can also spread to the cerebrospinal fluid or to the leptomeninges, the outer lining of the brain and spinal cord. This type of metastasis is known as leptomeningeal disease (LMD), or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.

Since LMD cancer cells float in the cerebrospinal fluid, they can quickly spread throughout the central nervous system. As a result, LMD has a poor prognosis.

Brain function and anatomy

大脑处理我们所有的感官，是我们的情感和运动的起点。它发送并且经由头部中的脊髓和神经整个身体接收消息。脑和脊髓的网络称为中枢神经系统（CNS）。

The brain is protected by the skull, while the vertebrae of the spine protect the spinal cord. Extra protection is provided by a liquid called cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds both the brain and the spinal cord.

The brain has four main parts:

大脑：大脑是大脑外，也是最大的一部分。它具有两个半部被称为半球。每个半球有四个叶：额叶，顶叶，颞叶和枕叶。大脑是负责我们的视觉，听觉，嗅觉和触觉，以及情感推理语言和运动的感觉。

Basal ganglia:These structures are found deeper inside the brain. They play a part in control of movement.

小脑：这种结构是在大脑后部。它有助于控制和协调的运动，如散步和平衡。

Brainstem：脑干位于刚刚在大脑和脊髓的接合处的小脑的前面，中继大脑和身体的其余部分之间的感觉和运动信息。这个小区域是非常重要的，甚至起着功能，如呼吸，你的心脏速率调节的维持生命的作用。

Learn more about brain metastases:

• Brain metastases symptoms
• 脑转移瘤的诊断
• 脑转移瘤的治疗

Why choose MD Anderson for your brain metastasis treatment?

When a patient is diagnosed with a brain metastasis, treating that growth becomes a top priority. At MD Anderson, your case can be reviewed by our central nervous system metastases tumor board. This group includes physicians who specialize in primary cancers (the tumors that spread to the brain) as well as experts in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, radiology and radiation oncology for the central nervous system.

Members of this team have spent decades treating patients with brain metastases. They often find ways to treat tumors that other care providers have declared untreatable. This combination of experience and expertise helps them deliver a personalized treatment plan offering the best possible outcome.

截至排名第一的癌症中心的患者，你也将受益于先进的成像技术，它可以识别并跟踪您的脑转移瘤随着时间的推移。你的护理可能包括一些最先进的手术和治疗。这些措施包括复杂的程序很多供应商不提供，如清醒开颅手术，这让医生手术，以免损坏关键点在大脑映射。

You can also benefit from advanced treatments such asGamma Knife® stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery to the spinal cord, image-guidedradiation therapyand激光间质性热疗法（LITT）。这些处理允许转移的精确的治疗，同时尽量减少对附近健康组织的影响。医生也可能会为您提供机会参加clinical trials可能不可以le anywhere else.

And since brain metastases and their treatments can impact how you think and behave, we have experts who can evaluate symptoms related to your disease and help find ways to minimize those effects.