Brain metastases treatment with chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to destroy metastases in the brain. That aims to shrink tumor tissues and cope with symptoms. However, such therapy can be complex due to the blood-brain barrier. It protects the brain from the penetration of bacteria and viruses. And it also makes it difficult to get drugs there. However, recent studies have shown that brain metastases from tumors sensitive to chemotherapy (e. g. , testicular, lung, and lymphoma cancers) are also susceptible to the drug's effects. That means that some medications are capable of overcoming the blood-brain barrier. One of them is the oral medicine Temozolomide (Temodar). As a result, it can be prescribed to treat some brain lesions. Chemotherapy can be administered orally or via a vein. When medications are injected intravenously, the infusion usually lasts several hours. That is followed by a rest period of several weeks to allow the body to recover. This treatment cycle can be repeated several times. In some cases, doctors must first drill a small hole in the skull and insert a particular port called the Ommaya reservoir to perform chemotherapy. It allows oncologists to deliver the medicine directly into the cerebrospinal fluid.