The editors and authors of this special issue would like to thank the Journal of Neuro-oncology for once again extending the invitation to revisit and update our knowledge and experience with surgical approaches to common brain tumors.

We are delighted that some of our most senior and seasoned surgical colleagues have taken the time to provide us with the important tenets of surgical techniques that they have “learned” over the years. It is well known that practical experience matters with respect to a number of patient and economic outcome indices, so in this issue senior neuro-oncologic surgeons have provided us with a cumulative experience of well over 100 years! In addition, the final chapter predicts what we have to look forward to in the near future with further advances in operating room technology and the application of molecular techniques to the tissues which we as surgeons obtain for diagnosis and as a major part of tumor treatment.

We hope that our readers find the coverage of intra- and extra-axial tumors in this short text valuable. We thank our contributors and Dr. Linda Liau, the Editor-In-Chief, for their time and their commitment to neurosurgical oncology and for sharing their thoughtful insights and reflections on surgical experiences.

Respectfully submitted,

figure a

Aaron Cohen-Gadol, M.D., M.Sc.

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Michael W. McDermott, M.D.