Breast cancer that spreads to brain screened

Chicago Sun-Times - May 8, 2007 - Cancer spreading from the breast to the brain isn't all that unusual — research has shown that one in five breast cancer patients face this problem. Even so, many patients don't get screened for this, according to Dr. Gail Rosseau, a neurosurgeon who's leading a clinical trial aimed at spotting these problems sooner. The Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch wants to findout if using MRI scans to screen breast cancer patients can detect tumors that have spread to the brain before symptoms appear. Catching it early may improve the outcome, she said.

Participants in the study will get one free magnetic resonance image of their brain, and results will be shared with the patient. Researchers will follow up yearly with each patient for five years. Not all people with breast cancer are eligible for the trial. You must have an initial primary diagnosis of high-risk or HER-2 positive breast cancer, defined as stage 4 disease or HER-2 positive stage 3 disease.

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