Introduction:

tumors that spread in the brain, from a primary neoplasm located in other organs of the body are known as metastatic brain tumors. It is estimated that 25% of malignant tumors in other parts of the body cause head metastases.

Objective:

to systematize the clinical, epidemiological and surgical aspects of metastatic brain tumors, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic tools necessary to offer the patient and family the best alternatives to the disease.

Method:

a narrative review was carried out based on the documentary study of systematic reviews, meta-analysis, clinical practice guides, original articles and doctoral theses that were found in the electronic databases.

Results:

the incidence of brain metastasis varies depending on the location of the primary tumor. In adults, the highest incidence was observed between the fifth and seventh decade of life, without differences in sex. Brain tumors have different forms of clinical presentation, including intracranial hypertension syndrome, focal signs, epileptic seizures and endocrine syndrome. The three primary components of the management of patients with cerebral metastases were non-chemotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic drugs, surgical intervention for tumor excision and radiotherapy.

Conclusions:

metastatic brain tumors constitute a health problem with increasing incidence, with a complex syndromic and polymorphic picture, they have a wide therapeutic arsenal that includes non-chemotherapeutic drugs, chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy which must be adjusted to the characteristics of each patient to achieve a survival as long as possible, with a better quality of life.

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