Central Nervous System
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Oct 12 – Oct 19, 2026
Levetiracetam therapeutically targets GABAergic synapses in diffuse midline glioma.
NAT MED · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #1/195TOP-TIER
This study investigated the therapeutic impact of levetiracetam on diffuse midline glioma (DMG) using retrospective clinical data and preclinical orthotopic xenograft models. Results demonstrated significantly longer overall survival in pediatric DMG patients taking levetiracetam, a benefit not observed in hemispheric high-grade glioma cohorts. Preclinical findings confirmed that levetiracetam reduces tumor proliferation and extends survival by selectively attenuating GABAergic synaptic transmission within DMG cells, independent of its standard SV2A mechanism. These results suggest that levetiracetam may serve as a targeted therapy for DMG, warranting prospective clinical trials to validate its anti-cancer efficacy in this specific pediatric population.
10.1038/s41591-026-04646-6
Neurodevelopmental Blueprint in Gliomas: Toward an Ontogenetic Multimodal Integrated Therapy.
J CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/326TOP-TIER
This review synthesizes evidence proposing that neuroepithelial tumor biology, including gliomas, re-enacts brain ontogeny, offering a unifying framework for their cellular hierarchy and progression. It suggests neoplastic transformation mirrors physiological developmental trajectories, explaining hallmarks like intratumoral mosaicism and therapy resistance. The authors propose an “Ontogenetic multimodal integrated therapy,” an anatomy-guided strategy aligning neurosurgery, radiotherapy, and pharmacotherapy with tumor stage. This framework provides a clinically oriented paradigm for diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring in patients with neuroepithelial tumors.
10.1200/JCO-25-02798
Sep 28 – Oct 05, 2026
Surgery and tile-based radiation therapy versus surgery and stereotactic radiation for newly diagnosed brain metastases (ROADS): a randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial.
J CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/326TOP-TIER
This phase 3 randomized trial (ROADS) compared resection with tile-based radiation therapy (R+TBRT) to resection with stereotactic radiation (R+SRT) for newly diagnosed brain metastases. R+TBRT significantly improved time-to-surgical bed recurrence (HR: 0.06; 95% CI: 0.01-0.46; p=0.0070) and surgical bed recurrence-free survival (HR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.30-0.76; p=0.0021). Overall adverse events were similar between groups. This study demonstrates that R+TBRT offers superior local control for resected brain metastases, providing a potentially improved treatment strategy for cancer patients.
10.1200/JCO-26-01894
Sep 21 – Sep 28, 2026
Radiotherapy versus observation following surgical resection of WHO grade 2 atypical meningioma (ROAM/EORTC-1308): an international, multicentre, open-label, phase 3, randomised controlled trial.
LANCET · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #1/332TOP-TIER
This phase 3 randomized controlled trial (ROAM/EORTC-1308) evaluated whether adjuvant radiotherapy (60 Gy) improves disease-free survival compared to observation in 157 patients with WHO grade 2 atypical meningioma following complete surgical resection. At a median follow-up of 64 months, the radiotherapy group demonstrated a significantly higher 5-year disease-free survival rate of 79.9% compared to 64.3% in the observation group (HR 0.51, p=0.0396). Recurrence occurred in only 14% of the radiotherapy group versus 30% of the observation group, though 8% of radiotherapy patients experienced grade 2 or 3 serious adverse events. These findings suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy should be considered post-resection to reduce recurrence risk, provided the clinical benefit outweighs potential delayed radiation-related toxicities.
10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01804-0
Aug 17 – Aug 24, 2026
Trends in Meningioma Incidence, Treatment, and Imaging Surveillance.
JAMA ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #14/326TOP-TIER
This nationwide quality improvement study analyzed Danish trends in meningioma incidence, treatment, and surveillance from 2010-2023, including 8134 adult patients. Meningioma incidence significantly increased from 6.4 to 12.6 per 100,000 person-years, yet treatment rates remained stable, with 65.2% receiving no intervention and 89.3% of surgical cases being WHO grade 1. Extensive surveillance imaging (87.8% received ≥1 MRI) rarely led to treatment changes (83.5% of scans not followed by treatment; 1.4% surgery after 5 years). The findings suggest that a substantial proportion of follow-up imaging for these often indolent tumors could be reduced within a risk-adapted framework, optimizing resource allocation in neuro-oncology.
10.1001/jamaoncol.2026.2943
Brain barriers at the crossroads of glioma immune surveillance and immunotherapy response.
NAT REV CANCER · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #3/326TOP-TIER
This review examines how specialized brain barriers contribute to CNS immune privilege and the subsequent failure of immunotherapies in treating gliomas. The authors highlight that these barriers restrict immune cell access to the CNS parenchyma, shielding tumors from detection and limiting the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T cell therapies. Emerging evidence suggests gliomas actively remodel these barriers to enhance immune evasion, representing a significant hurdle for current clinical trial designs. Understanding brain barriers as neuroimmunological interfaces is critical for developing strategies to improve immune surveillance and therapeutic responses in patients with brain tumors.
10.1038/s41568-026-00960-w
Exploring the landscape of targetable alterations in patients with glioblastoma.
NAT REV CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #2/326TOP-TIER
This review examines the landscape of targetable molecular alterations in glioblastoma, focusing on the challenges of intratumoural heterogeneity and limited drug delivery to the central nervous system. The authors summarize therapeutic targets including receptor tyrosine kinases, cell-cycle dysregulation, and synthetic-lethal vulnerabilities, while highlighting emerging strategies like antibody-drug conjugates and liquid biopsy monitoring. For clinicians, the study emphasizes the shift toward pathway-based classification and master kinase mapping to better align targeted drugs with functional tumor states. These insights suggest that overcoming therapeutic resistance requires multi-regional sampling and novel delivery methods to improve outcomes in this lethal malignancy.
10.1038/s41571-026-01190-7
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Brain Tumors: A Prospective Multicenter Analysis of Patients From the LAANTERN Study.
J CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/326TOP-TIER
This prospective multicenter study analyzed 787 patients from the LAANTERN registry to evaluate clinical outcomes of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for primary and metastatic brain tumors. Results demonstrated a median hospital stay of 32.4 hours, a low 12.8% adverse event rate, and 80% of patients successfully discontinuing steroid use post-procedure. For clinicians focused on oncology, the study identifies that greater extent of ablation and smaller lesion size significantly correlate with improved survival in high-grade gliomas and recurrent metastases. These findings support LITT as a safe, effective cytoreductive tool for brain cancer management that preserves functional status while minimizing intensive care requirements.
10.1200/JCO-25-02604
Aug 10 – Aug 17, 2026
Prognostic and Predictive Effect of Age in Molecularly Defined Lower-Grade Gliomas.
J CLIN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #6/326TOP-TIER
This study evaluated whether age ≥40 years remains a prognostic factor for molecularly defined lower-grade gliomas using patient-level data from the PROGRES (n=1,619) and REGRES (n=1,292) databases. Age was associated with worse progression-free survival in IDH-wildtype tumors (5-year PFS 6% vs. 24%; HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.21-2.50) but not in IDH-mutant gliomas (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.76-1.05). Older age in IDH-wildtype tumors correlated with aggressive molecular features (e.g., MGMT promoter mutation, EGFR amplification). Age did not predict benefit from chemoradiotherapy in IDH-mutant tumors, suggesting age alone should not guide adjuvant treatment decisions.
10.1200/JCO-25-01846