Central Nervous System Malignancies

The primitive neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS) are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies. Brain metastases (BMs) are the most frequent intracranial tumor, and their incidence is rising in the last few decades. Primary tumors more often complicated by BMs are lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. Neuroimaging techniques, mainly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), play a key role for the diagnosis of BMs. The management of BMs is based on a multimodal approach, including symptomatic treatment, local treatment, such as surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), and systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, target therapy, or immunotherapy. Despite active treatment, however, BMs still have an adverse impact on survival and quality of life.