Chairman's reflection on the past, present and future of neurosurgical oncology

The development of neurosurgical oncology as a subspecialty is closely tied to the development of neurosurgery as a whole. Therefore, the progress that has taken place in the diagnosis and the surgical management of neurosurgical disorders has been widely applied to oncologic disorders affecting the nervous system. The challenges and opportunities that characterize the specialty are grouped into five general categories. These are issues that are related to (1) the management of a large and diverse patient population, (2) the proper training of neurosurgeons to develop the set of required technical skills, (3) the lack of disease curability and its associated opportunity for research endeavors, (4) the importance of the multidisciplinary coordination of care in a horizontal matrix model, and (5) the psychosocial dimensions that are a part of the complexity of human nature. Based on a current assessment of the subspecialty, a perspective on the unfolding future is obtained. This future can be characterized by a stronger workforce, a broader connectivity and representations, and an improved scientific inquiry.