Who faces more risk after surgery for several brain tumors
Original title: Risk stratification for unfavorable outcome after resection of selected brain metastases in patients with multiple brain metastases.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors looked back at surgeries people already had, so this is not a new treatment.
The short version
When people have more than one brain tumor, surgery carries real risk, and some people face more of it than others.
What was studied. Doctors at two hospitals reviewed 132 people who had two or more brain metastases. Each person had surgery on some of those tumors between 2021 and 2024.
What they found. 28% of the patients died within 90 days of surgery. That was 37 of 132 people. Older age, being frail, and poorer health before surgery were linked to this risk. People who got no follow-up treatment after surgery also died more often.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Surgery can still be done to ease symptoms or to get a tissue sample. But the risk is not the same for every person. Age, frailty, and how well someone is doing before surgery all matter. Your care team can weigh these things with you before you decide.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean surgery is wrong or unsafe for everyone. It does not mean it is a cure. The doctors only looked back at records from two hospitals. They did not test a new treatment, and they cannot prove what caused each outcome. This is help for a talk with your doctor, not a promise.
Source: PubMed, October 8, 2026 · Read the original
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