Published online Aug 26, 2021. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i8.1112
Peer-review started: February 28, 2021
First decision: April 19, 2021
Revised: May 2, 2021
Accepted: July 7, 2021
Article in press: July 7, 2021
Published online: August 26, 2021
Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are a variety of distinct neoplasms that present multiple challenges in terms of treatment and prognosis. Glioblastoma, the most common primary tumor in adults, is associated with poor survival and remains one of the least treatable neoplasms. These tumors are highly heterogenous and complex in their nature. Due to this complexity, traditional cell culturing techniques and methods do not provide an ideal recapitulating model for the study of these tumors’ behavior in vivo. Two-dimensional models lack the spatial arrangement, the heterogeneity in cell types, and the microenvironment that play a large role in tumor cell behavior and response to treatment. Recently, scientists have turned towards three-dimensional culturing methods, namely spheroids and organoids, as they have been shown to recapitulate tumors in a more faithful manner to their in vivo counterparts. Moreover, tumor-on-a-chip systems have lately been employed in CNS tumor modeling and have shown great potential in both studying the pathophysiology and therapeutic testing. In this review, we will discuss the current available literature on in vitro three-dimensional culturing models in CNS tumors, in addition to presenting their advantages and current limitations. We will also elaborate on the future implications of these models and their benefit in the clinical setting.
Core Tip: Central nervous system tumors present multiple challenges in treatment and patient prognosis. Glioblastoma, the most common adult brain tumor, remains one of the most lethal malignant brain tumors even at the current standard of care. Traditional in vitro culturing is limited in recapitulating the features of the in vivo tumors. We herein discuss recent advancements in three-dimensional culturing for tumor modeling, their advantages, and limitations, in addition to future perspectives.