Posts by Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD
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Targeted Therapy for BRAF Mutation in Craniopharyngioma
A new targeted therapy for brain tumors shrinks craniopharyngiomas by 91% and helps patients avoid long-term complications of surgery and radiation.
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Cell-free DNA and Single-Cell RNA Analysis Useful for Studying Treatment of Leptomeningeal Disease
Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD, director of the Brain Metastasis Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and colleagues have identified cellular and molecular features that associate with response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with leptomeningeal disease.
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Palbociclib Demonstrates Activity Against Progressive Brain Metastases Harboring CDK Pathway Alterations
A proof-of-concept study at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center showed genetic testing can guide treatment for patients with brain metastases from solid tumors, as 53% of patients with progressive brain metastases and CDK alterations showed benefit from palbociclib, a CDK inhibitor.
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Cell-Free DNA Analysis Outperforms Cytology for Diagnosing Leptomeningeal Disease
Michael D. White, MD, Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD, and colleagues at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center show cell-free DNA derived from cerebrospinal fluid is more accurate and sensitive for diagnosing leptomeningeal disease than the cytologic assessment of cerebrospinal fluid.
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Combination Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Safe, Extends Survival for Leptomeningeal Disease
In a phase 2 trial, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center observed that the combination of two immune checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab and nivolumab, was safe and associated with three-month overall survival of 44% in a heavily pretreated population of patients with leptomeningeal disease.
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Novel Drivers of Brain Metastasis from Lung Tumors Identified
The first large-scale genomic characterization of lung adenocarcinoma brain metastases has detected several novel, potentially clinically informative mutations in known cancer genes.
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Pembrolizumab Promising for Patients with Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis
Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital are encouraged by the results of the first prospective clinical trial of an immune checkpoint inhibitor specifically for patients with leptomeningeal dissemination of solid tumors.
Biography
Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD, is the director of the Central Nervous System Metastasis Center at the Mass General Cancer Center and an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Mass General Cancer Center
An integral part of one of the world’s most distinguished academic medical centers, the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center is among the leading cancer care providers in the United States.
