If your healthcare provider suspects you may have metastatic brain cancer, they will order exams and tests. They will ask you questions about your health history, risk factors, symptoms and your family history. Diagnostic tests may include the following:
- : This exam checks how well your brain and nervous system are working. Your doctor may test your memory, vision, hearing, balance, strength, reflexes, and speech.
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): An MRI is the main test used to find brain metastases. It creates detailed pictures of the brain using magnets and radio waves. In many cases, a contrast dye is given through a vein in your arm before the scan. This dye helps highlight abnormal areas, making tumors easier to see.
- CT Scan (Computed Tomography): A CT scan uses X-rays to take pictures of your brain from different angles. It is useful for seeing the size and location of a tumor, but it may not be as detailed as an MRI.
- Spinal tap (lumbar puncture): If doctors think cancer may have spread to the fluid around your brain and spinal cord, they may do a spinal tap. This test uses a thin needle to collect spinal fluid from your lower back. The fluid is then checked for cancer cells.
- Biopsy: A biopsy involves removing a small sample of tumor tissue to examine under a microscope. This is rarely needed to diagnose brain metastases but may be done if imaging results are unclear.
Additional tests, such as an may be done to assess brain activity and detect seizures.
Your care team may also order exams and tests regarding your primary cancer that spread to your brain.
Stages of Brain Metastases
Brain metastases are always considered advanced Stage IV brain cancer because the cancer has already spread to different organs or lymph nodes away from the area of the patient’s primary cancer.
