Thoughts and Therapies: Melanoma Brain Metastases
Chaitanya Sanghadia·Brandon Lucke-Wold·Caroline Castelino·Neil Talwar·Safwan Kazmi·Jason Ramirez·Vikas Prabhakar·Matthew Lobato·Albert Nguyen·Tomasz Czerkas·Zachary Rundell·Shaan Bhullar·Hunter Hutchinson·Milena Nicosia
Brain metastases are the third most common metastatic site in melanoma patients, with 40% of melanoma patients developing melanoma brain metastasis (MBM). Symptomology of MBM ranges from headaches, neurological deficits, cognitive changes, and seizures, resulting from MBM embedding in areas of highest blood flow following the breakdown of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) via genetic, cytokine, and molecular processes. The BBB is highly restrictive, making MBM difficult to treat. Challenges in MBM t