World Cancer Day on February 4: Dresden University Medicine sets benchmarks in the treatment of rare brain tumors

World Cancer Day on February 4 provides an opportunity to focus on rare tumor diseases such as primary brain tumors. Owing to their location, these tumors pose particular challenges for patients, their families, and the healthcare system. Diagnosis is complex and treatment highly specialized, as as these tumors arise in close proximity to the brain, cranial nerves, sensory organs, and major central blood vessels. In Germany, there are only 20 to 25 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants each year; nevertheless, the functional impact of primary brain tumors can be severe.
The Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden is one of the few specialized centers in Germany dedicated to the treatment and research of brain tumors and their subgroup, the skull base tumors. Under the direction of Prof. Ilker Eyüpoglu, numerous highly complex operations are performed here every year. At the same time, the team works intensively with national and international partners on research to better understand the biological basis of this disease and to continuously improve surgical and functional treatment.

The case of Karl Maximus Seidemann illustrates just how important this highly specialized care is. Over the course of one month, the young man’s eyesight deteriorated steadily. When he could only recognize outlines, he presented himself at the Department of Neurosurgery at the UKD. The diagnosis: a tumor at the base of the skull, more precisely a craniopharyngioma, which was pressing directly on the optic nerve. As Karl Seidemann was at risk of losing his vision, immediate surgery was required.

“Our goal in these procedures is to perform them as safely as possible while preserving the patients’ neurological functions to the greatest extent,” explains Prof. Ilker Eyüpoglu, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at the UKD, who also led the emergency operation. "The combination of extensive surgical experience, state-of-the-art technology and a deep biological understanding of tumours enables us to provide highly individualized treatment even in extremely complex cases."

The team’s clinical and scientific work at Dresden University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden covers the entire spectrum of primary brain tumors, including gliomas, meningiomas, and other rare tumor entities. Primary tumors of the central nervous system account for around two percent of all cancers.

A key location-specific advantage is the close integration of cutting-edge surgical technologies with comprehensive clinical expertise. Among other things, these are used during operations: MRI imaging, angiography as well as continuous electrophysiological monitoring to be able to check at any time whether vessels or nerve structures are at risk. In addition, highly precise, state-of-the-art navigation systems as well as advanced microsurgical and endoscopic techniques are employed. This equipment enables safe procedures even for highly complex tumors, such as those located at the skull base.

For Karl Maximus Seidemann, this expertise and the rapid intervention proved lifesaving. The tumor was completely removed and his eyesight restored. He is now undergoing outpatient follow-up care. "Endocrinological co-management will continue, as is expected for this tumor entity. Under the current hormone therapy, the patient is clinically stable and fully able to cope with everyday life," says Prof. Eyüpoglu.

Strong research directly improves patient care

Care in the clinic benefits significantly from its close connection to research. Over the past two years, international multicenter studies and in-house Dresden investigations have identified new molecular correlations in skull base tumors. These findings are incorporated directly into clinical practice, enabling more precise surgical planning and increasingly individualized treatment concepts.

Specifically, a large international multicenter study on olfactory meningiomas (Alkhatib et al., Journal of Neurosurgery 2025) demonstrated that the majority of these tumors exhibit characteristic genetic alterations that determine their growth and biological behavior. Complementing this, a Dresden study (Podlesek et al., Cancers 2024) showed that, in addition to the molecular profile, anatomical factors such as tumor size, bony changes, and swelling of the surrounding tissue are crucial for the preservation of olfactory function. The combination of these data provides valuable guidance for surgical planning and postoperative quality of life.

International research teams led by Dresden have also been able to decipher key genetic correlations in the rare foramen magnum meningiomas at the junction of the skull and spine (Hua/Alkhatib et al., J Neurosurg 2024). Certain molecular alterations correlate with tumor location and histological structure, a gain in knowledge that is particularly important for developing safer surgical strategies.

Progress with hormone-active tumors

Another important contribution to this series of studies is provided by the work of Emmanouilidis et al.(Pituitary 2025), which focuses on pituitary adenomas - tumors of the pituitary gland that can cause hormonal dysregulation and conditions such as acromegaly, characterized by enlargement of the hands, feet, and facial features. The Dresden study is the first to identify clinical and biological factors that lead to discrepancies between growth hormone and IGF-1 levels following surgical or medical therapy. These findings are of high practical relevance, as they enable a more precise assessment of treatment success and form the basis for individually tailored follow-up and monitoring strategies.

Two further publications on skull base meningiomas and pituitary tumors are already in preparation and will systematically complement the existing results. Together, they paint a consistent picture of a research strategy that combines molecular, functional and clinical aspects.

Science, clinic and interdisciplinarity as a common denominator

“These research projects exemplify how closely basic research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and patient-centered top-level medicine are interlinked in Dresden to continuously improve diagnostics, therapy, and follow-up care. This is particularly evident in rare tumor diseases," explains Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the TUD Dresden University of Technology.

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden plays a key role in this. As a structured platform, it brings together specialized expertise from neurosurgery, oncology, radiation medicine, imaging, and other disciplines, enabling innovative research results to be translated in a targeted and timely manner into patient care.

"This close integration forms the foundation for high-quality treatment and continuous medical progress. It allows us to provide top-level care even for complex cases from across Germany and indeed from throughout Europe," adds Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of the University Hospital.

The studies:

Molecular landscape and clinical correlates of olfactory groove meningiomas: a multi-institutional study.
Alkhatib M, Hua L, Beyer F, Prilop I, Podlesek D, Jeyaretna S, Fujio S, Zolal A, Günther L, Cicek B, Herold S, Zeugner S, Juratli JH, Cahill DP, Wakimoto H, Teo M, Gong Y, Pinzer T, Schackert G, Eyüpoglu IY, Brastianos PK, Juratli TA.J Neurosurg. 2025 Sep 5;143(6):1458-1466. doi: 10.3171/2025.4.JNS242619. Print 2025 Dec 1.

Correlation of Molecular Status with Preoperative Olfactory Function in Olfactory Groove Meningioma.
Podlesek D, Beyer F, Alkhatib M, Daubner D, Hijazi MM, Juratli JH, Weise S, Eyüpoglu IY, Schackert G, Juratli TA, Hummel T.Cancers (Basel). 2024 Apr 22;16(8):1595. doi: 10.3390/cancers16081595.

Genetic characterization and mutational profiling of foramen magnum meningiomas: a multi-institutional study.
Hua L, Alkhatib M, Fujio S, Alhasan B, Herold S, Zeugner S, Zolal A, Hijazi MM, Clark VE, Wakimoto H, Shankar GM, Brastianos PK, Barker FG, Cahill DP, Ren L, Eyüpoglu IY, Gong Y, Schackert G, Juratli TA.J Neurosurg. 2024 Jan 26;141(1):72-78. doi: 10.3171/2023.11.JNS231936. Print 2024 Jul 1.

Predictive factors for post-therapeutic biochemical discordance in acromegaly: a monocentric analysis of 156 cases.
Emmanouilidis D, Polanski W, Juratli T, Sobottka SB, Tsourdi E, Gruber M, Pinzer T, Eyüpoglu IY.Pituitary. 2025 Jun 22;28(4):74. doi: 10.1007/s11102-025-01547-8.

Scientific contact:
Prof. Dr. Ilker Y. Eyüpoglu
Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurosurgery
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus
at the TUD Dresden University of Technology
+49 351 458-2883
Neurosurgery on the web: www.ukdd.de/nch

Contact for the media:
Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Staff Unit Public Relations Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
of the TUD Dresden University of Technology
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden
+49 351 458 17903