While the multidisciplinary team approach has been widely accepted in the management of CNS pathologies, the precise choice of treatments and the optimal sequence in which those are delivered remains patient-specific and the subject of considerable debate. Surgical resection, radiation, and systemic treatments ideally complement each other to provide the best overall survival and quality of life.
Advances in timing and modality of radiation delivery, along with the development of novel systemic agents and the ability to target those agents into the CNS, will continue to transform the landscape of CNS tumor management. To this end, multiple areas of novel clinical and pre-clinical research have matured to allow for comparative analysis against the historical treatment paradigms in which surgical resection is required. Thus far, publication of these data has been piecemeal, lacking in a cohesive and comprehensive presentation.
The current special issue will specifically address the advances in neurosurgical oncology beyond traditional standards of care, providing a modern evidence-based review along with novel content in burgeoning areas of CNS tumor management.