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Beyond Chronological Age: A Scoping Review of Neurosurgical Intervention for Central Nervous System Tumors in the Very Elderly

A dispatch from PubMed — filed

Adults aged 75 years or older are increasingly considered for neurosurgical treatment of primary central nervous system tumors, yet the evidence guiding treatment selection remains fragmented. We conducted a scoping review of PubMed/MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception through July 2026....

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✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

No actionable change for audiologists — this scoping review addresses neurosurgical decision-making for CNS tumors in the elderly and has no relevance to audiology clinical practice.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

As the global population ages, the audiology field may encounter more elderly patients with CNS tumors causing hearing or balance symptoms, but treatment decisions rest entirely with neurosurgeons and oncologists.

✦ Key Points ✦
  1. 01Scoping review of neurosurgical intervention for primary CNS (brain and spinal cord) tumors in adults aged 75 or older.
  2. 02Focus is on how age beyond a simple number influences treatment selection and surgical outcomes.
  3. 03Review highlights gaps in evidence for operating on the very elderly with brain tumors.
  4. 04No direct audiology relevance; tangential only if acoustic neuroma or other skull-base tumors are considered.
  5. 05Findings inform neurosurgical and neuro-oncology guidelines, not audiology protocols.
✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

Chronological age alone is an insufficient criterion for excluding very elderly patients from neurosurgical intervention for CNS tumors.

studypartially supported
✦ Research metadata ✦
PMID
42782896
DOI
10.3390/curroncol33090550.
Journal
Current Oncology
Publication type
review
Evidence level
2a
Population
Adults aged 75 or older with primary central nervous system tumors considered for neurosurgical intervention
Intervention
Neurosurgical intervention for primary CNS tumors
Comparator
Non-surgical management or no intervention

Primary outcomes

Treatment selection criteria beyond chronological age; Surgical outcomes in adults aged 75+

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