The Importance of Integrating Surgical Resection into Preclinical Glioblastoma Modeling

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a challenging tumor in terms of clinical management, with limited progress made since the standard of care was established in 2005. Maximal safe surgical resection, a cornerstone of the standard-of-care regimen, is a major determinant in patient outcome. However, this key clinical parameter is generally not accounted for in preclinical models, which are often used to provide a rationale for early-phase clinical trials. In this perspective, we cover the current types and status of preclinical GBM resection models and the insights they provide into the GBM disease process. In addition, we discuss how surgical resection alters the immune response, which can affect response to therapies, especially in the context of newly developing and contemporary immunotherapies. Given the complexity of GBM and the use of tumor resection in clinical management, we highlight the necessity and opportunity to integrate surgical resection into preclinical models to help inform and test the next generation of treatments.