What causes seizures and brain metastasis after lung cancer?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 39-year-old male, weighing about 154 pounds. I have been affected by lung cancer, which has been under treatment. However, I experienced a sudden seizure, which was shocking to me. The brain MRI revealed brain metastasis. Before experiencing a seizure, there were no other symptoms such as headache or blurred vision.

What is the reason for my sudden seizure caused by brain metastasis at the age of 39?
Is it normal for brain metastasis to occur without any symptoms?

Kindly advise.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand how frightening it must have been to experience a seizure and then learn that it was caused by brain metastasis from lung cancer.

Metastatic brain disease is fairly common among lung cancer patients. There are some particular cases where brain preventive therapy, namely prophylactic cranial irradiation, is required for some kinds of lung cancer when there is a high chance of the development of brain metastases. Nevertheless, such a method cannot be used in all cases and depends upon the type of lung cancer, its stage, and the doctor’s recommendations.

Seizure is one of the earliest signs of metastatic brain cancer, since the tumor might irritate the neighboring brain tissues, which leads to abnormal electrical impulses. It is quite possible that brain metastases might not have any symptoms prior to the seizure. Headache, visual impairment, and weakness may occur only at a certain size of lesions or their location in certain brain regions.

MRI results assist in providing treatment direction. Treatment can be carried out using any of the following methods, depending on the presence, number, size, and location of the metastasis:

Surgery.
Radiosurgery.
Whole-brain radiation therapy
Systemic treatment, or any combination of the mentioned procedures.

WBRT (Whole-brain radiation therapy) is not indicated for all patients, while spinal irradiation is rarely performed in cases when there is dissemination of tumor cells to the spinal cord or cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment of brain metastases lowers the chances of developing additional seizures. Also, an anti-seizure drug such as Levetiracetam is normally administered after a seizure as a preventive measure.

Regular follow-up with your oncologist and neurologist is necessary to adjust the therapy regimen based on your individual case.

I hope that the above explanation will help you understand things better. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

The following regimen is usually recommended:

Anti-epileptic drugs like Levetiracetam prescribed by the treating doctor.
Treatment of the brain metastasis depends on the findings, including surgery, radiosurgery, whole-brain radiation, systemic therapy, or their combinations.
Regular follow-up with the team of oncologists and neurologists.
Supportive care as required.

I hope you are satisfied with my answer. For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.

Thank you.