Tumor resection in glioblastoma mouse models: surgical techniques and translational potential

Abstract Surgical resection is a cornerstone of glioblastoma (GBM) treatment in patients, yet it remains underrepresented in preclinical studies with mouse models. This narrative review analyzes the current resection techniques used in mouse GBM studies and evaluates their feasibility, reproducibility and translational relevance. A total of 27 eligible studies were included in the review and categorized by resection method: non-guided biopsy punch, non-guided freehand resection, fluorescence-guided freehand resection (using fluorescent cell lines or dyes), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -guided approaches. While non-guided techniques (biopsy punch or freehand) are commonly employed due to their simplicity and affordability, they lack the precision and adaptability of more advanced methods. Fluorescence-guided resection improves tumor visualization but requires costly equipment and can introduce immunological biases. So-called MRI-guided strategies remain rare and MRI is not actually used intraoperatively. Despite technically challenging, GBM surgical resection in mice is feasible and several effective techniques are currently available. The systematic implementation of tumor resection in GBM preclinical studies could allow to more closely mimic the human scenario thereby improving the predictive value of GBM animal experiments.