Intraoperative brain mapping illustration

Brain Tumor Mapping: Why It's Underused and How to Advocate for Better Care

Lena Voss in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover the power of intraoperative brain mapping, a game-changer in brain tumor surgery, and learn why it's not reaching its full potential."

Brain tumors present a significant challenge, particularly when located near critical areas of the brain responsible for movement, speech, and other essential functions. The primary goal of brain tumor surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible while preserving these crucial functions, ensuring patients maintain their quality of life.

Intraoperative brain mapping is a technique used during surgery to identify and protect these vital areas. By stimulating specific regions of the brain and monitoring the patient’s responses, surgeons can create a detailed map of the brain's function, guiding them to safely remove the tumor while minimizing the risk of causing permanent deficits.

Despite its proven benefits, intraoperative brain mapping remains underutilized. This article explores the reasons behind this underutilization, highlights recent research aimed at optimizing its use, and provides insights into how patients and advocates can promote better access to this valuable tool.

The Power of Intraoperative Brain Mapping: Protecting Essential Brain Functions

Intraoperative brain mapping illustration

Intraoperative brain mapping is a sophisticated technique employed during brain tumor surgery to maximize the extent of tumor removal while safeguarding critical brain functions. It involves stimulating specific areas of the brain and observing the patient's responses to create a functional map that guides the surgeon. This map helps the surgeon distinguish between tumor tissue and essential brain areas, ensuring that vital functions like movement and speech are preserved.

The benefits of intraoperative brain mapping are well-documented. By precisely identifying functional areas, surgeons can perform more aggressive tumor resections, leading to improved outcomes and increased survival rates. This is particularly crucial for tumors located near eloquent areas of the brain, where even minor damage can result in significant neurological deficits.

Improved Tumor Resection: Mapping allows for more complete removal of tumor tissue.
Preservation of Neurological Function: Mapping protects essential areas, reducing the risk of deficits.
Enhanced Quality of Life: By minimizing neurological damage, patients maintain a higher quality of life after surgery.

A study presented by Vergani, Brogna, Bhangoo, and Ashkan at King's College London investigated the utilization of intraoperative brain mapping in their neuro-oncology department. The researchers found that approximately 1 in 5 patients with brain tumors located near eloquent areas were candidates for intraoperative mapping. This highlights the significant potential for this technique to benefit a substantial portion of brain tumor patients.

Advocating for Better Utilization of Brain Tumor Mapping

Intraoperative brain mapping is a powerful tool that can significantly improve outcomes for brain tumor patients. By understanding the benefits of this technique and advocating for its wider adoption, we can help ensure that more patients have access to the best possible care. If you or a loved one is facing brain tumor surgery, don't hesitate to discuss the possibility of intraoperative mapping with your neurosurgical team. Your voice can make a difference in promoting better outcomes and a higher quality of life for those affected by brain tumors.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1093/neuonc/now293.022, Alternate LINK

Title: Pp23. Mapping For Brain Tumours: An Under-Utilised Tool?

Subject: Cancer Research

Journal: Neuro-Oncology

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Authors: Mr Francesco Vergani, Mr Christian Brogna, Mr Ranj Bhangoo, Prof Keyoumars Ashkan

Published: 2017-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What exactly is intraoperative brain mapping and how is it performed during brain tumor surgery?

Intraoperative brain mapping is a surgical technique used during brain tumor surgery to locate and protect critical brain areas. It involves stimulating specific regions of the brain while the patient is awake (if appropriate) and monitoring their responses to create a functional map. This map helps surgeons differentiate between tumor tissue and essential brain areas responsible for functions like movement and speech, allowing for more precise and safer tumor removal.

How does intraoperative brain mapping improve outcomes and quality of life for patients undergoing brain tumor surgery?

Intraoperative brain mapping helps surgeons maximize the extent of tumor removal while minimizing damage to essential brain areas. It allows for more aggressive tumor resections, leading to improved outcomes and increased survival rates. By preserving neurological functions, patients experience a higher quality of life after surgery, avoiding or reducing potential deficits.

Why is intraoperative brain mapping not used as often as it could be, even though there are clear advantages?

Despite its proven benefits, intraoperative brain mapping is underutilized for several reasons, including a lack of awareness among patients and healthcare providers, limited availability of specialized equipment and trained personnel, and potential cost considerations. Overcoming these barriers requires education, advocacy, and investment in resources to expand access to this valuable technique.

What actions can patients and their advocates take to encourage more widespread use of intraoperative brain mapping in brain tumor treatment?

Patients and advocates can promote wider adoption of intraoperative brain mapping by discussing the possibility of its use with their neurosurgical team. It is important to advocate for its use, especially when tumors are located near eloquent areas of the brain. Encouraging research and data collection to demonstrate the effectiveness of mapping, and supporting policies that increase access to specialized equipment and training programs is a further step. By raising awareness and advocating for its benefits, more patients can receive better care.

How does research contribute to optimizing the use of intraoperative brain mapping, and what future advancements can be expected?

Research, such as the study by Vergani, Brogna, Bhangoo, and Ashkan at King's College London, helps optimize the use of intraoperative brain mapping by demonstrating its potential impact on patient outcomes. These studies highlight the proportion of brain tumor patients who are candidates for mapping and provide evidence to support its wider adoption. Further research could explore novel mapping techniques, refine patient selection criteria, and assess the cost-effectiveness of mapping to facilitate informed decision-making and resource allocation in neuro-oncology departments.