Consumer-grade electroencephalography devices as potential tools for early detection of brain tumors

Excerpt

Diffuse gliomas, such as glioblastoma (GBM), represent the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer with an unfortunate dearth of treatment advances despite decades of ongoing research [1]. Perhaps one of the most successful paradigms in cancer management has been early detection programs that aim to dramatically improve outcomes by providing an earlier window for intervention [2]. Indeed, early screening has reduced deaths and improved outcomes of many cancer types (e.g., colon, breast, cervical) when the disease can be detected prior to distant spread [3]. In support of this paradigm in neuro-oncology, the achievement of gross total surgical resection in younger patients with GBM shows favorable outcomes compared to instances where only incomplete resection is possible (37.3 vs. 16.5 months) [4]. Therefore, if gliomas could be detected earlier in their evolution, while remaining potentially more localized, it could also offer the possibility to better maximize the extent of safe surgical resection and favorable outcomes. …