The last two decades have seen the development of a variety of novel therapeutic agents that have improved prognoses for women with breast cancer. Certainly for women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, the introduction of trastuzumab (Herceptin) has altered the natural history of the disease, turning a once aggressive cancer into one with a favorable prognosis. Moreover, our understanding of the biology of breast cancer has also grown; we have realized that it is not a homogeneous disease but rather a heterogeneous one composed of a number of subtypes, each with its own unique natural history and survival outcomes. [2] Despite such advances, however, a diagnosis of brain metastases in a woman with breast cancer still connotes a debilitating and incurable condition.
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