If you’ve been diagnosed with any type of cancer, it’s important to take note of any other symptoms that you might be experiencing elsewhere in the body. For example, having headaches, nausea or vomiting could indicate brain metastases or tumours in your brain.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Fiona Hegi-Johnson who is a Radiation Oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She’s also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and specialises in treating lung and breast cancer patients.

Fiona explains how patients are usually very aware of any changes in their bodies and how they’re feeling. She stresses that any symptoms should be discussed with your oncologist and other members of your medical team, so tests can be done to see if there is disease elsewhere in the body.

She also shares with us some exciting new treatment options using stereotactic radiotherapy that can treat very small lesions without affecting the rest of the brain. This means side effects can be avoided and the prognosis for patients is greatly improved. Plus, she alludes to a number of other treatment options that she’s excited about.

Note: Dr. Hegi-Johnson updated that the overall prevalence of brain metastases ranges from 30 to 40%, varying based on the patient cohort and tumour types. The prevalence is higher in mutation-driven patients.

Additional Resources:

Congress For Patients website

https://congressforpatients.com.au/

ASCO abstract about Brain Metastases Treatments

https://meetings.asco.org/2023-asco-annual-meeting/14941?presentation=214903#214903

What is Brain Metastases?

https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/stages-of-melanoma/brain-metastases/

Diagnosis, treatment, surgery, radiation therapy, medications and so on

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-metastases/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350140

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