Our Team of World-Class Experts
As doctors have gotten better at treating cancer, people with cancer are living longer. As a result, sometimes the cancer can spread. When cancer in another part of the body spreads to the brain, it is called metastatic brain cancer. It develops in approximately 20% to 40% of people with cancer. If you’ve been diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer, you’re not alone — and our world-class experts are ready to help. We are here for you even if you’re not already a patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
We understand you may be feeling anxious and overwhelmed about what to do next and how to find the right treatment. We can help. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, our care is specialized, integrative, and seamless. Our Multidisciplinary Brain Metastatic Clinic (MBMC) unites experts across MSK’s unparalleled teams in neurosurgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology and clinical trials teams, neuroradiology, neurology, and physiatry. Their sole focus is on people with tumors that have spread to the brain. They all work closely with your primary oncologist so that you get the right care at the right time, in a coordinated and efficient way.
Brain Metastasis Treatment That’s State-of-the Art
Brain metastasis care is often complex, requiring experience and innovation. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, we offer the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options, including:
- Minimally invasive surgery, so we can get you back to feeling like yourself as soon as possible.
- Radiation therapy during surgery with brachytherapy to destroy any lingering cancer cells that we can’t cut out.
- Minimally invasive laser ablation, in which we insert a laser into the tumor and heat it up to destroy the cancer.
- Laser interstitial thermal therapy to destroy brain tumors with pinpoint precision.
- Targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which are oral or IV drugs that circulate throughout the body and destroy cancer cells.
- Targeted radiation (stereotactic radiosurgery) delivers very high doses of radiation to brain metastases with extreme precision.
- Clinical trials studying new treatments for brain cancer. We are currently enrolling eligible patients for a trial studying the efficacy of brachytherapy in patients with brain cancer that has returned after prior radiation therapy and who will be having surgery to remove the tumor. Learn more about the trial.
We are always conducting research that is pioneering the brain metastasis treatments of the future as well as improving early detection.
Coordinated and Timely Care
Your care is completely integrated at the MBMC. Even before your first appointment, we’re developing a plan to help you. Our experts review your situation in advance to ensure you are presented with the most appropriate, personalized treatment options. When you come in, you’re also able to see several experts in one day so that you don’t have to make multiple appointments within MSK. Right away, you’ll have a care plan that reflects the expertise of multiple specialists. After treatment at the MBMC, you’ll be able to return to your regular care team — though we’ll always be here if you need us.
Built Around You
At MSK, we’re here to guide you not only through treatment but the cancer experience in general. We want to care for you as a whole person, juggling family and work and trying to live life to its fullest potential. We offer long-term follow-up so we can monitor you to make sure you remain disease free as well as also offer you strategies for healthy living from our experts in:
We want it to be easy for you to have access to our expertise. You can meet with us from the convenience of your home, or, if you prefer, in person. In every way, we’ll meet you where you are.
To bring our care to you, we offer:
- Telemedicine appointments for eligible patients
- Remote opinions for patients seeking rapid surgical opinions for all types of brain tumors
- In-person scans and treatment at our regional locations in New York State and New Jersey