Abstract

Glioma is a brain cancer of unmet need. Despite current best treatment, median overall survival remains dismal at 12-15 months. Maximal safe resection is the preferred first step in glioma management. However, the tumour cavity is surrounded by infiltrative cancer cells that resist adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, and drive recurrence. Surgical targeting of these cells is limited by their intermingling with healthy and/or eloquent brain. Limited biological models exist to study this so-called ‘margin zone.’ The Stem Cells and Brain Tumour Group at Leeds (co-led by Ryan Mathew and Heiko Wurdak), in conjunction with Academic Surgery, is developing new in vitro and in vivo models to study the ‘margin zone’ and also devise new local therapeutic interventions that can be deployed at the time of surgery. Examples include hydrogels, nanofibres, ultra-high precision laser and tumour-treating fields.