Brain metastases | Metastases in thyroid cancer

Brain metastases

For the diagnosis of brain metastases, a computer tomographic image (CT) is always required, which allows various cross-sectional images of the head from different angles and can thus also show small metastases. The symptomatology of brain metastases varies depending on their location and size. Basically, brain metastases mean a highly advanced, usually no longer curable original tumor (primary tumor) and can only be treated to a very limited extent.

Nearly all patients with brain metastases describe persistent, very stressful headaches, for which it is possible to initiate appropriate pain therapy in any case. If the metastases are located in the area of the cerebrum, symptoms such as seizures (there are preventive medications for seizures), paralysis, sensory disturbances, loss of vision, speech disorders and even personality changes can occur, which particularly affect the social life of the patients. In particularly severe cases, close relatives even speak of hardly being able to recognize the patient.

If this is the case, a conversation with a psychological specialist should be sought in any case. Other possible symptoms of brain metastases are dizziness, impaired consciousness and long-term fatigue. Due to the space requirement of the metastasis in the brain and thus in the bony skull, there is also an increase in intracranial pressure, which must be observed and treated if necessary.

Here decongestant medication helps.Surgery is only justified in rare cases, as any intervention in the brain can cause permanent damage. Only in the presence of a single metastasis and with good chances of recovery of the initial thyroid tumor (e.g. papillary or follicular) surgery makes sense. Before every surgical procedure, a so-called neoadjuvant (“neoadjuvant” means “before further therapy”) radiation is administered, which should reduce the size of the metastasis somewhat in order to increase the success of the operation. Chemotherapy has a rather low chance of success in the treatment of brain metastases from thyroid cancer and is therefore used relatively little.