Tini Paolo, Rubino Giovanni, Pastina Pierpaolo, Chibbaro Salvatore, Cerase Alfonso, Marampon Francesco, Paolini Sergio, Esposito Vincenzo, Minniti Giuseppe
Unit of Radiation Oncology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Unit of Neurosurgery, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2024 Aug 17;16(16):2870. doi: 10.3390/cancers16162870.
Glioblastoma: a highly aggressive brain tumor, presents substantial challenges in treatment and management, with surgical intervention playing a pivotal role in improving patient outcomes. Disparities in access to brain tumor surgery arise from a multitude of factors, including socioeconomic status, geographical location, and healthcare resource allocation. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often face significant barriers to accessing surgical services, such as shortages of specialized neurosurgical expertise, limited healthcare infrastructure, and financial constraints. Consequently, glioblastoma patients in LMICs experience delays in diagnosis, suboptimal treatment, and poorer clinical outcomes compared to patients in high-income countries (HICs). The clinical impact of these disparities is profound. Patients in LMICs are more likely to be diagnosed at advanced disease stages, receive less effective treatment, and have lower survival rates than their counterparts in HICs. Additionally, disparities in access to surgical care exacerbate economic and societal burdens, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted interventions and health policy reforms to address healthcare inequities. This review highlights the importance of addressing global disparities in access to brain tumor surgery for glioblastoma through collaborative efforts, policy advocacy, and resource allocation, aiming to improve outcomes and promote equity in surgical care delivery for all glioblastoma patients worldwide.
一种极具侵袭性的脑肿瘤，在治疗和管理方面面临重大挑战，手术干预在改善患者预后中起着关键作用。获得脑肿瘤手术治疗的机会存在差异，这是由多种因素造成的，包括社会经济地位、地理位置和医疗资源分配。低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）在获得手术服务方面往往面临重大障碍，例如缺乏专业神经外科专业知识、医疗基础设施有限以及资金限制。因此，与高收入国家（HICs）的患者相比，LMICs的胶质母细胞瘤患者在诊断上会延迟，治疗效果欠佳，临床结局更差。这些差异的临床影响是深远的。与HICs的患者相比，LMICs的患者更有可能在疾病晚期被诊断出来，接受的治疗效果较差，生存率较低。此外，获得手术治疗的机会差异加剧了经济和社会负担，这凸显了迫切需要有针对性的干预措施和卫生政策改革来解决医疗保健不平等问题。本综述强调了通过合作努力、政策倡导和资源分配来解决全球胶质母细胞瘤患者在获得脑肿瘤手术治疗方面的差异的重要性，旨在改善全球所有胶质母细胞瘤患者的手术治疗结局并促进手术治疗的公平性。
