They are the most frequent brain tumors. They are produced when tumor cells from a cancer in another part of the body are deposited and grow in the brain. It is estimated that around 10-15% of cancer patients develop brain metastases during the course of their disease. The tumors most frequently associated with brain metastases are breast, lung and melanoma, although they also appear in other cancers (prostate, ovarian, gastrointestinal tumors).

They may be single or multiple. Depending on their number, size and location in the brain, they can produce different neurological symptoms (loss of strength or sensitivity on one side of the body, difficulty in speaking, loss of balance or coordination), epileptic seizures or headache, which generally appear and worsen progressively.

They are sometimes diagnosed in patients without symptoms who undergo cranial MRI or CT to determine the extent of the disease. Treatment includes measures to alleviate symptoms (drugs to prevent seizures, steroids to reduce associated edema, analgesics), and depending on the case, palliative treatment measures (holocranial radiotherapy, radiosurgery, surgical resection, chemotherapy). There are no curative treatments for the time being. In each case, the most appropriate treatment may be different, and depends on factors such as the number of metastases and their location, the degree of neurological involvement, the extent of the cancer that caused the metastases, and the age and general condition of the patient.