Emerging Biomarkers for Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Brain Metastases—From Biology to Clinical Utility

Abstract

Primary malignancies of the lung, skin (melanoma), and breast have higher propensity for metastatic spread to the brain. Advances in molecular tumour profiling have aided the development of targeted therapies, stereotactic radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, which have led to some improvement in patient outcomes; however, the overall prognosis remains poor. Continued research to identify new prognostic and predictive biomarkers is necessary to further impact patient outcomes, as this will enable better risk stratification at the point of primary cancer diagnosis, earlier detection of metastatic deposits (for example, through surveillance), and more effective systemic treatments. Brain metastases exhibit considerable inter- and intratumoural heterogeneity—apart from distinct histology, treatment history and other clinical factors, the metastatic brain tumour microenvironment is incredibly variable both in terms of subclonal diversity and cellular composition. This review discusses emerging biomarkers; specifically, the biological context and potential clinical utility of tumour tissue biomarkers, circulating tumour cells, extracellular vesicles, and circulating tumour DNA.

Innovative Approaches for Breast Cancer Metastasis to the Brain

“…Research has identified several potential biomarkers associated with BCBM, and their quantification may be a reliable indicator to assess the appropriateness of MRI imaging in BC patients with asymptomatic BM [33][34][35]. Beyond imaging, these biomarkers are increasingly being implicated in a wide array of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications, constituting an exciting new realm of opportunity for the earlier detection and treatment of BCBM [36,37].…”