Recent Advances in Translational Neuro-Oncology

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuro-oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 April 2025) | Viewed by 2770

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Clinical Instructor in Neurosurgical Oncology and Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
Interests: brain tumors; radiosurgery; neuro-oncology; gliomas; brain metastasis; nanomedicine; theranostics; DNA damage response; image-guided neurosurgery; disparities in neuro-oncology care; blood-brain barrier; patient-derived mouse models of brain tumors; genome-editing

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Neurosurgery, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Brighton, MA 02135, USA
2. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
3. School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
4. Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
Interests: brain tumors; radiosurgery; skull base surgery; neuro-oncology; management of brain tumors during pregnancy; gliomas; brain metastasis; pituitary tumors; intraventricular tumors; image-guided neurosurgery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in understanding the molecular biology of brain tumors, combined with high-throughput screening platforms for therapeutic discovery, novel multimodal strategies that allow for maximally safe surgical tumor resection and downstream targeted adjuvant treatments, have the potential to significantly increase the survival of patients with primary and/or metastatic brain tumors.

In this Special Issue of Brain Sciences, we welcome submissions that present cutting-edge perspectives on recent developments in the fields of translational neuro-oncology, immune-oncology pertaining to the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors, and cancer neuroscience.

We explore the emerging use of artificial intelligence in the field of neuro-oncology, including its use in radiomics to assist in the diagnosis of brain tumors, its incorporation in the surgical management of brain tumors and as a tool to predict outcomes. We welcome submissions studying the uses of machine learning and data analytics to understand global real-world treatment patterns for primary and metastatic brain tumors.

Finally, we welcome original articles that probe the neuropsychiatric effects of treatments for all types of brain tumors, studies that explore the importance of neurorehabilitation before, during and after therapy, and the role of clinical nurse advocates in helping brain tumor patients and their families navigate complicated health systems and address disparities in the delivery of cancer care to this vulnerable patient population.

Dr. Fred C. Lam
Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Matthias Kasper
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • brain tumors
  • neuro-oncology
  • neurosurgery
  • radiosurgery
  • immune-oncology
  • translational research
  • clinical trials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 949 KiB  
Article
Factors Determining Rehabilitation Needs After Intradural Spinal Tumor Surgery: A Prospective Study
by Stanisław Krajewski, Jacek Furtak, Monika Zawadka-Kunikowska, Michał Kachelski, Jakub Soboń and Marek Harat
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15010051 - 8 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: While most studies on the postoperative condition of patients with spinal cord tumors describe long-term outcomes, data are needed on immediate surgical outcomes demanding rehabilitation to make informed assessments for postoperative planning. The aim of this study was to identify factors predicting [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: While most studies on the postoperative condition of patients with spinal cord tumors describe long-term outcomes, data are needed on immediate surgical outcomes demanding rehabilitation to make informed assessments for postoperative planning. The aim of this study was to identify factors predicting function and rehabilitative needs after intradural spinal tumor surgery. Methods: Eighty-five prospectively recruited patients underwent surgery for intradural intramedullary (ID-IM; n = 23) and extramedullary (ID-EM; n = 62) tumors. Neurological and functional status were assessed before surgery, after surgery, and at discharge using the modified McCormick scale (MMS), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scale, Barthel index (BI), and the gait index (GI). Results: There were no significant predictors of early postoperative rehabilitation in the ID-IM group. In the ID-EM group, age, thoracic level, subtotal resection (STR), repeat surgery, and functional scale scores predicted the need for rehabilitation. In multivariable analysis, MMS (odds ratio (OR) 8.7; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.37–32.44) and STR (OR 13.00; 95%CI: 1.56–107.87) remained independent predictors of rehabilitation need (area under curve, 92%). Despite their younger age, most patients with ID-IM tumors, especially ependymomas, required rehabilitation but improved quickly (KPS, BI, p < 0.001). Among ID-EM tumors, meningiomas were characterized by poorer preoperative function and low gross total resection (GTR) rates, but did not deteriorate neurologically after surgery. Patients with schwannoma and ID-EM ependymomas achieved the highest GTR rate and had the best function both before and after surgery. Conclusions: These results may be useful for estimating early rehabilitation needs after intradural tumor surgery and counseling patients before surgery about the expected postoperative course. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Translational Neuro-Oncology)
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Review

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15 pages, 1226 KiB  
Review
“Beyond the Knife”—Applying Theranostic Technologies to Enhance Outcomes in Neurosurgical Oncology
by Santosh Guru, Fred C. Lam, Amirhossein Akhavan-Sigari, Yusuke S. Hori, Deyaaldeen AbuReesh, Armine Tayag, Sara C. Emrich, Louisa Ustrzynski, David J. Park and Steven D. Chang
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14121253 - 13 Dec 2024
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Abstract
The current standard of care for brain tumor management includes maximal safe surgical resection followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recent advances in image-guided surgical techniques have enhanced the precision of tumor resections, yet there remains a critical need for innovative technologies [...] Read more.
The current standard of care for brain tumor management includes maximal safe surgical resection followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recent advances in image-guided surgical techniques have enhanced the precision of tumor resections, yet there remains a critical need for innovative technologies to further improve patient outcomes. Techniques such as fluorescence image-guided neurosurgery in combination with stereotactic radiosurgery have improved outcomes for patients with brain tumors. In this article for Brain Science’s Special Issue Recent Advances in Translational Neuro-Oncology, we review the use of image-guided neurosurgery and stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of brain tumors. In addition, we summarize the emerging use of theranostic nanoparticles for the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to enable the neurosurgeon to perform more precise surgical resections in the operating room, to specifically target the delivery of existing and novel treatments to tumor cells, and to augment the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery. These innovative translational tools will allow neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, and radiation oncologists to go “beyond the knife” to improve the survival of brain tumor patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Translational Neuro-Oncology)
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