• Muhammad Shakir, Syeda Fatima Shariq, Hammad Atif Irshad, Aly Hamza Khowaja, Izza Tahir, Ali I Rae, Radzi Hamzah, Saksham Gupta, Kee B Park, and Syed Ather Enam.
• Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Electronic address: muhammad.shakir@alumni.aku.edu.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Jul 1; 187: 211222.e3211-222.e3.

IntroductionBrain tumors pose a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to limited resources and high costs, resulting in hampered service delivery of neurosurgical care and significant disparities in patient outcomes compared to high-income nations. Therefore, our systematic review aims to identify barriers to service delivery in providing adequate surgical care for the management of brain tumors in LMICs.MethodsWe searched Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL, from inception to October 20, 2022. The data from the eligible studies were extracted and analyzed qualitatively.ResultsThe final analysis included 35 articles, which highlighted significant challenges in providing adequate surgical care for brain tumors in LMICs. Among the cited studies, 10% reported lack of multidisciplinary team structures, 61% noted delayed patient presentation, 16% highlighted delays in neuroimaging, 10% reported delays in scheduling surgery, lack of training for specialized surgery (3%), lack of intra-operative facilities (19%), power supply interruption (6%), and lack of advanced diagnostic and specialized surgery facilities (19%). Strategies for addressing these challenges include cross-border collaboration (7%), public education, and awareness (13%), establishing multidisciplinary teams (20%), utilizing alternative surgical techniques (13%), 7% intraoperative ultrasound, 13% intraoperative cytology smear), and establishing satellite hospitals for low-risk care (7%), standard operating procedure and infection control (13%).ConclusionTargeted interventions considering economic constraints are essential to improve the availability, affordability, and quality of neuro-oncologic services in developing countries. International collaborations and building capacity are vital for improving patient outcomes and service delivery, as well as forming multidisciplinary teams and utilizing resource-saving, innovative methods.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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