Brain Metastases
Brain metastases mean a tumor has formed in one part of your body and spread to your brain. Our clinicians treat this complex condition with deep expertise.
You’re not alone – a metastatic brain tumor is more common than a tumor that begins in the brain.
We treat a high number of patients, understand this condition’s intricacies and give you compassionate, comprehensive support.
Signs or symptoms of a metastatic brain tumor
Brain metastases and metastatic brain tumors mean the same thing: A tumor that starts elsewhere and spreads to the brain. In some cases, you may not know that you already have cancer somewhere else in your body.
We encourage you to pay mindful attention to any of these symptoms, including:
- Seizures, especially with no previous history
- Headaches, particularly if they’re getting worse
- Difficulties with thinking and memory
- Unexpected shortness of breath
- Changes in personality and behavior
- Muscle weakness on one side of the body
- Uncoordinated movements, such as difficulty walking
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Nausea and vomiting
Types of metastatic brain tumors
A primary tumor forms somewhere else in your body. A secondary (metastatic) tumor is a primary cancer that has spread, in this case to your brain.
Metastatic brain tumors usually originate from primary tumors and cancers like these:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Certain soft tissue cancers (sarcomas)
- Tumors that form from immature cells (germ cell tumors)
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Skin cancer (melanoma)
Other types of (primary) brain tumors include:
Brain metastases diagnosis at UCI Health
Our neuro-oncologists take care of brain metastases. Your diagnostic tests will either rule out or confirm if you have metastatic cancer.
What to do if you have symptoms
If you’re suddenly experiencing seizures, shortness of breath or headaches that have worsened, contact your doctor immediately or call 911.
Most brain tumors, from low-grade to metastatic disease, produce headaches that won’t go away. If you experience headaches, weakness, numbness, tingling, or any stroke-like symptoms go to the ER or urgent care.
Take note of when the symptoms started, their severity and remember to discuss even mild symptoms. Bring those details with you to your appointment in our Comprehensive Brain Tumor program.
What is the life expectancy of a metastasized brain tumor?
The answer to this is highly individual. You can live longer and manage a metastatic brain tumor better than ever before.
As a UCI Health patient, you’re automatically considered for clinical trials with our nationally recognized brain tumor experts. This gives you access to the latest leading-edge therapies and a brighter health outlook.
Brain metastases treatment at UCI Health
After our consultation, we will tailor a highly individualized treatment plan for you.
How to work with us
You can contact the UCI Health Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program to set up an appointment. Often, patients with conditions like melanoma might experience sudden symptoms such as a seizure, headache or other neurological issues. They usually go to their oncologist or the emergency room, where they might receive an MRI that shows lesions on the brain.
After that, they can be referred to our neuro-oncology and radiation oncology specialists here at UCI Health for further consultation.
Why choose UCI Health for brain metastases
To best treat this aggressive cancer, we focus on personalized medicine
At UCI Health, we prefer to avoid the risks of surgery and the potential side effects of radiation when possible. Even with the safer, highly focused radiation options we have today, it’s not always the right treatment or the timing isn’t correct.
Personalized medicine includes the use of targeted therapy. We take a tumor tissue sample and send it for special testing to identify the DNA mutation. Then we find a drug that inhibits that mutation, specifically targeting it to shrink the tumor.
Our multidisciplinary team approach includes experts and specialists working together to give you the best care
Neurosurgeons, radiation therapists and neuro-oncologists don’t work well in a silo. You can expect four or five different teams collaborating to come up with consensus for your treatment plan.
It takes strong coordination between departments to make that happen. We understand the value of a collegial, cooperative approach to ensure you get the correct treatment at the right time.
Our Tumor Board meets weekly to strategize about you
Not only do various departments depend on each other to deliver comprehensive care, but our brain tumor specialists do too. We meet regularly to strategize about the best care for all our current patients. We solicit second opinions from each other and our mentors—this helps us uncover the right approach for difficult, high-risk cases.
When cancer has metastasized, we move quickly
We specialize in treating patients with even the most difficult to reach brain tumors. Our cancer care is robust, and one of our brain tumor physicians will return your call within 24 hours.
Call 714-456-8000 and make an appointment to speak with a specialist.
We welcome referrals from community physicians.
To refer a patient to our program, call 714-456-8000 or fill out an online request form. You may also email us at www.ucihealth.org/medical-services/brain-tumor-program/email-us.
One of our brain tumor physicians will return your call within 24 hours. We can see your patient in our offices within 48 hours after insurance approval.
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