Blocking a tumor's blood supply before surgery in a rare brain tumor
Original title: Successful pre-operative endovascular intraventricular meningioma embolization: a systematic review and pediatric case analysis.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This has only been reported in a handful of patients, so it is not proven.
The short version
Doctors blocked the blood flow to a rare brain tumor before surgery, and the surgery went well in a small number of reported cases.
What was studied. Doctors report on a 9.5-year-old boy with an intraventricular meningioma, a rare tumor deep inside the brain that has a lot of blood flowing to it. Before surgery they blocked one of the arteries feeding the tumor, then they searched the medical literature for other reports of the same approach.
What they found. In the boy's case, the artery was blocked with no problems, and surgeons removed all of the tumor with blood loss of less than 300 mL. The search turned up seven cases from six studies. Blocking the blood supply worked in six of those cases, and all patients who had surgery had the whole tumor removed. Blood loss ranged from 150 to 1850 mL, and complications happened in two of seven cases, including a pocket of blood near the brain after surgery.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For a patient with this rare, deep tumor, a surgical team may consider blocking the tumor's blood supply first. The aim is less bleeding during the operation. If this tumor is in your family's care plan, you can ask the team whether this step makes sense for your case.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the approach is proven. It rests on one child plus seven reported cases, which is a very small number of people. Reports like these cannot show whether something is truly safe or helpful. The authors say so themselves. This is not a treatment for the tumor on its own, and it is not a cure. It is only a step taken before surgery.
Source: PubMed, August 3, 2026 · Read the original
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