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Current Status of Research on Targeted Therapy Against Central Nervous System Tumors in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income
Amin Tavallaii1, Keyvan Tayyebi Meybodi1, Farideh Nejat1
1Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Medical Center Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective:
In recent decades, a significant body of research has focused on targeted therapies for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) tumors to enhance the effectiveness of management strategies. However, most of these efforts have been centered in high-income countries, which renders the generalizability of their results to low- and middle-income countries questionable. Therefore, in this review, we systematically investigated the status of research conducted on targeted therapy for CNS tumors in low- and lower-middle-income countries to elucidate the contribution of these countries in advancing neuro-oncology.
Methods:
A systematic search of 3 databases was performed using a predefined search strategy. After screening the articles based on our inclusion/exclusion criteria, the data were extracted to a predesigned Excel worksheet.
Results:
A review of 44 included studies showed that India, Iran, and Lebanon were the only countries with a contribution to this field. All included studies were laboratory or animal experiments, and there were no clinical studies in this field. The most investigated CNS tumor was malignant glioma, and gene-targeted therapy was the most investigated category of targeted therapies in these countries.
Conclusions:
Low- and lower-middle-income countries comprise more than half of the world population, but they are deprived of targeted therapies against CNS tumors. Although there are basic experiments performed on this subject, they originate in a limited number of these countries. Therefore, targeted therapy is in its preliminary stage in these countries.
Insights
Research on targeted therapies for central nervous system (CNS) tumors is limited in low-income countries. Basic experiments are concentrated in a few nations, indicating this field is in its preliminary stages globally.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Targeted therapies for central nervous system (CNS) tumors are crucial for improving treatment effectiveness.
- Research on CNS tumor targeted therapies is predominantly conducted in high-income countries, limiting global applicability.
- The contribution of low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) to this field remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the research status of targeted therapy for CNS tumors in LMICs.
- To identify the extent of LMIC contributions to neuro-oncology research in this domain.
- To elucidate the current stage of targeted therapy development for CNS tumors in LMICs.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across three databases using a predefined strategy.
- Screening of retrieved articles based on established inclusion/exclusion criteria.
- Data extraction into a predesigned Excel worksheet for analysis.
Main Results:
- Only India, Iran, and Lebanon showed contributions to CNS tumor targeted therapy research among LMICs.
- All 44 included studies were laboratory or animal-based experiments; no clinical studies were identified.
- Malignant glioma was the most studied CNS tumor, with gene-targeted therapy being the most investigated approach.
Conclusions:
- LMICs, representing over half the global population, have limited access to targeted therapies for CNS tumors.
- Despite some basic research, targeted therapy development for CNS tumors in LMICs is in its nascent stages.
- A significant gap exists in clinical research and broader participation from LMICs in advancing neuro-oncology.
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