The study, published Jan. 24 in Neuro-Oncology, examined data from 101 asymptomatic patients diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, including triple-negative, HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. Patients underwent an initial MRI scan to check for brain metastasis, then a second MRI six months later if the initial scan showed no signs of cancer spread.
Here are four things to know:
1. In the initial MRI, 14% of patients had brain metastasis.
2. Brain metastasis in the first scan was most common in patients with triple-negative breast cancer at 18%, followed by patients with HER2-positive breast cancer at 15% and hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer at 10%.
3. Following the six-month MRI, the rates of brain metastasis increased to 25% for triple-negative, 24% for HER2+ and 23% for HR+/HER2- patients.
4. Currently, screening for asymptomatic stage 4 breast cancer with brain MRIs is not recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines.
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