Low-grade glioma management: a contemporary surgical approach

Purpose of review The primary treatment of low-grade gliomas is still claimed to lack robust supporting evidence. Yet, several investigations were performed in the last 2 decades. To critically review these studies could help in further clarifying the role of surgery aimed at maximal resection. Recent findings Despite the lack of randomized clinical trials hampering the performance of appropriate meta-analyses, the increasing amount of evidence pointed toward an aggressive surgical strategy to low-grade glioma. Low-grade glioma surgery has to be performed with the appropriate armamentarium, which is the availability of intraoperative stimulation mapping, especially for those lesions occurring in cortical and subcortical eloquent sites. Summary According to the recently published guidelines, surgical treatment has been increasingly recognized as the initial therapeutic act of choice for patients diagnosed with a presumed low-grade glioma, given that total resection can improve seizure control, progression-free survival and overall survival, while reducing the risk of malignant transformation and preserving patients' functional status.