World Brain Tumor Day 2025: Insights from Neurosurgeon Dr. Mayank Narani
Every year on June 8, World Brain Tumor Day is observed globally to raise awareness about brain tumors, promote early diagnosis, support patients and caregivers, and highlight ongoing research. Initiated by the German Brain Tumour Association in 2000, the day has grown into a worldwide effort to address the often-overlooked burden of brain tumors. The 2025 theme, “Empowering Lives Through Brain Tumor Awareness,” emphasizes the importance of timely diagnosis, supportive care, and renewed hope.
In recognition of this day, MedBound Times interviewed Dr. Mayank Narani, Consultant Neurosurgeon (MCh Neurosurgery, WFNS Neurosurgery Fellow), currently practicing at Max Superspeciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi. With robust training from institutions like Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, and international fellowship experience in Japan, Dr. Narani brings deep expertise to this conversation. In this exclusive interview, he addresses common misconceptions, warning signs, emerging treatments, and the systemic changes India needs to better support brain tumor patients.
M Subha Maheswari: Can you please introduce yourself?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Hello, I’m Dr. Mayank Narani, Consultant Neurosurgeon with an MCh in Neurosurgery from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and a WFNS Fellowship in Neurosurgery from Nagoya Medical Centre, Japan. I have over a decade of experience in surgical disciplines, currently practicing at Max Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi. My areas of expertise include brain and spinal tumors, neuro-oncology, and minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques.
M Subha Maheswari: To start with the interview, let's talk about brain tumors. In layman's terms, how can we explain a brain tumor to a normal reader who would come across this blog?
Dr. Mayank Narani: This is a very in-depth topic, but just to create awareness regarding brain tumors, a brain tumor is an abnormal growth in the brain. It can arise from the brain or it can come from the structures surrounding the brain, which invade the brain. We can divide it into either a benign brain tumor or a malignant brain tumor. A benign brain tumor doesn’t spread to another region; it just increases in size. A malignant brain tumor can arise from any other organ and spread to the brain, or it can be locally invasive inside the brain.
Dr. Theresa Lily: What are some of the early signs or symptoms of a brain tumor that people should not ignore?
Dr. Mayank Narani: A brain tumor can present with headaches, seizures (fits), weakness of limbs, coordination issues, or problems with walking. So, a patient who has any kind of speech impairment, hearing problems, or vision problems should not ignore these symptoms.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Do the symptoms appear suddenly, or will there be a gradual increase in severity in the case of a brain tumor?
Dr. Mayank Narani: It will not be a one-size-fits-all kind of condition. In some cases, it can happen gradually—for example, a headache that has been slowly progressing over some years. Or a patient can directly have one episode of seizures, and when we do an MRI scan, we find out the patient has a brain tumor. Some patients come in soon after having weakness in the limbs (weakness of hands or legs), and when we do an MRI, we find a tumor present there.
It may have been there for a long duration, growing slowly in size. Even an innocuous headache can sometimes be dangerous.
Dr. Tadikonda Ambica: Can a brain tumor mimic any other conditions and develop asymptomatically?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Any issue with the nervous system—any condition causing disturbance in the nervous system, like an infection, stroke, demyelinating disorder, or autoimmune disorder—can cause symptoms that may mimic a brain tumor. And in some cases, yes, they do develop asymptomatically.
M Subha Maheswari: Can benign tumors sometimes become cancerous?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Not really! Malignant tumors like gliomas, which are a type of brain tumor, do. Gliomas have four grades: Grade 1, 2, 3, and 4. Grades 1 and 2 are known as low-grade tumors; grades 3 and 4 are high-grade tumors. In these kinds of tumors, they can change—for example, initially, the patient may have a grade 2 tumor. We do surgery, and then maybe 5 or 10 years down the line, the patient has a recurrence, and at that time, the grade has increased to grade 4. But that would be a malignant tumor to start with. A benign tumor will not present in that way.
M Subha Maheswari: So, are benign tumors still dangerous? I’ve heard that if they are in certain parts of the brain, the tumors can cause pressure on the brain, there can be behavioral changes, and sometimes it could be life-threatening.
Dr. Mayank Narani: Brain tumors, like I mentioned before, don’t spread, but they will gradually keep increasing in size. Yes, they can cause compression on the brain, they can present with any of those various symptoms, and if they are not treated appropriately or in a timely fashion, then they can be life-threatening as well.
Dr. Tadikonda Ambica: Are there any known risk factors for developing brain tumors?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Brain tumor risk factors include increasing age, some genetic conditions like neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis—they may have a high possibility of brain tumors. Another risk factor is radiation exposure, which can cause brain tumors. But quite a good number of cases will not have any identifiable risk factors.
Dr. Theresa Lily: If we are undergoing radiation therapy for any other medical conditions, will that lead to a brain tumor at a later stage?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Not in all cases. For example, radiation therapy is done for blood cancers like leukemia. In that case, the brain is also exposed to radiation, but not all patients will develop cancer later on.
Dr. Theresa Lily: What about conditions like an AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation), where we are giving radiation particularly to a part of the brain? In that case, is there a chance of a brain tumor developing later?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Not exactly. In the case of AVM, we are doing radiosurgery. Specifically, for AVM, we are trying to target only the portion of the brain that has a venous malformation. So in that case, no.
But in cases where we are giving radiation to the whole brain, then it becomes a higher risk. It doesn’t mean that every patient who has undergone radiation will develop a tumor, but yes, that becomes a risk factor. Especially if a patient has undergone radiation at a younger age—that becomes a significant risk factor.
Dr. Tadikonda Ambica: Are brain tumors detected at a very late stage in India? How is the prognosis?
Dr. Mayank Narani: As per current literature in India, around 40,000 tumor cases are being detected each year. From what I’ve seen, there has been significant improvement in healthcare infrastructure, and cases do come in. I wouldn’t say they are being detected late now.
Dr. Tadikonda Ambica: As you mentioned, certain factors determine whether surgery is the best course of action. What factors determine whether surgery is required?
Dr. Mayank Narani: So, whether to go ahead with surgery or not, it would depend firstly on the tumor characteristics, the size and the type of tumor, and the second thing would be the patient characteristics, like the patient's age, the overall health of the patient. And for each patient, there has to be a personalized treatment plan as per the patient's condition, and then we decide to do surgery or not.
Dr. Tadikonda Ambica: Once diagnosed, what are the main treatment options available?
Dr. Mayank Narani: So, for brain tumors, normally the treatment options available are, number one would be surgery in which we can either do a biopsy in which we take a small portion and send it for biopsy or we can do a maximal safe dissection, that is when we try to remove as much of the tumor as safely possible. The other treatment modalities would be radiotherapy or radiosurgery. Radiosurgery is when we target a certain portion of the brain that has a tumor and the third option would be chemotherapy.
M Subha Maheswari: We just discussed the detection of tumors in India. What gaps do you see in brain tumor care currently, and how do you think the system can improve? What do you, as a neurosurgeon, see as needs in the public sector, government sector, private sector, or within hospitals?
Dr. Mayank Narani: First and foremost, there should be awareness of the symptoms and the importance of seeking specialized care. Relying on alternative medicine often wastes valuable time for the patient. Second, the infrastructure is developing. I would say we are not there but yes, the infrastructure is developing in India and newer therapies are coming up. There is a time gap for the newer treatments to reach the masses and an inability to get advanced care in rural areas.
A geographic inequality exists. In rural areas, the number of neurosurgeons, and the number of specialized care centers are less. It is more prevalent in urban areas.
In Delhi, you find many hospitals but if you go 200-300 kilometers outside of the city, there will be a smaller number of such specialized hospitals. So that is something which we need to work on.
M Subha Maheswari: What emerging therapies or trials in neuro-oncology do you find particularly promising?
Dr. Mayank Narani: So there are certain therapies, like certain trials which are going on all over the world. One is immunotherapy, then there is targeted therapy, especially CAR T cell therapy. These treatments are currently in the trial phase and show promising results. We are hopeful for a cure for our most feared glioma tumors.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Is India also conducting these trials, or are we behind?
Dr. Mayank Narani: No, we are definitely not behind in CAR T-cell therapy. It’s being done in my hospital for other conditions, and trials are ongoing at multiple locations in India. We don’t have a cure yet, but we are working on it.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Are people generally reluctant to participate in these trials in India, given that it’s experimental?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Yes, they are reluctant , and secondly, awareness about it is much less. If there is a trial going on in a particular center, there is a reluctance to send your patient across as well.
Dr. Theresa Lily: What is the recovery process like after brain surgery? Is it a single surgery, or is it conducted in phases?
Dr. Mayank Narani: So, in most cases of brain tumors, which we operate upon, we don’t require multiple phases of surgery. We do it in one go. If we talk about a benign tumor per se, the long-term outcome is good. The initial recovery occurs in the hospital, after which the patient can resume their normal activities over the following weeks.
Some patients do end up with certain issues like mobility, weakness, or speech impairment. They will require a longer rehabilitation or cognitive therapy.
M Subha Maheswari: What awareness can we give the public? How does public education currently impact patient outcomes?
Dr. Mayank Narani: I think the message that we need to send across is that these symptoms can be dangerous. Every patient having these symptoms may not have a brain tumor but yes, they need to be evaluated. The second would be that there is specialized care available.
If you are diagnosed with a brain tumor, you should not be wasting your time with alternate therapy.
M Subha Maheswari: What is the biggest misconception people have about brain tumors?
Dr. Mayank Narani:
Not all brain tumors have the same outcomes—some are worse, but many are manageable now.
Brain tumors don’t only occur in older individuals—they can happen at any age, even in infants.
Brain tumors don’t always present with immediate, severe symptoms—innocuous symptoms should not be ignored.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Are there patients who refuse treatment despite positive outcome possibilities due to stigma or uncertainty?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Yes, a small section of society refuses treatment due to lack of awareness or fear of complications. It’s not necessarily linked to education level—it’s more about fear and the need for emotional support.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Do educated individuals also choose not to seek treatment because of the uncertainty of treatment outcome?
Dr. Mayank Narani: See, it is the fear of complications I would say rather than the fear of the disease. Anyone who receive a diagnosis of brain tumor and to decide, I would want to go ahead with the treatment the next day will be impossible, they do need some time. We need to support them. We cannot expect them to like, you know, jump onto the treatment immediately. Furthermore, I do not see any connection between the patients' educational backgrounds in this matter.
But yeah, it’s not a big amount of the population who would be saying no to the treatment. Not as much as I have seen in my practice. But yes, you do come across some cases now and then, you have to accept it.
Dr. Theresa Lily: After surgery, are there any symptoms that a patient might experience, even if the tumor is benign? Specifically, during the recovery process, what symptoms could arise? Additionally, in cases of malignant tumors, are there any long-term symptoms that patients might encounter?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Let’s divide it, we just talked about benign tumors, for now, the majority of cases must have favorable outcomes. And in malignant cases, the patient after surgery undergoes radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
In this scenario, the overall health of the patient is negatively impacted.
M Subha Maheswari: Can you share a challenging case (anonymously) that had a hopeful outcome?
Dr. Mayank Narani: We have operated on many brain tumor patients and, we had one of these patients, who had suffered a recurrence, it was second or third. So, we did operate on him again, and the patient underwent chemo and radiation. The thing is, like in this patient with glioma, if it is a low-grade tumor and you operate and you do it well, they do have good long-term outcomes.
M Subha Maheswari: What role do caregivers play? How much support and help do they get as being a cargiver?
Dr. Mayank Narani: I believe that one of the biggest issues in India is that caregivers are often neglected. So, the caregivers themselves, need emotional support too.
It is a very hard time for a family, or a person, to see their loved one go through a brain tumor diagnosis, going through treatment, and hearing about a poor prognosis, it can be challenging.
They play a very crucial role. They provide emotional support; they provide assistance in daily activities and communicate regarding the patient's needs and wants. They are the best people who can communicate with us and with the patient.
But yes, they are often the most neglected. Their emotional well-being is the most neglected part.
Dr. Theresa Lily: When you decide to proceed with the surgery, do you offer any counseling or mental health support for the caregiver as well? Are there any regulations regarding this in India?
Dr. Mayank Narani: No, we don’t have any kind of regulations in India. Even for the patient, we don’t have any counseling. We do the counseling, when we are advising them about our treatment approaches or preparing them for surgery.
It becomes a part and parcel of our training per se, but no, not real mental health support. Few cases in the post-op period, we find that, patients get depressed during recovery period.
They are not able to return to their daily activity.
Now, if it is a single-income earner family, the single-income earner themselves is on the hospital bed. They worry about the finances, they worry about their children and the family. So, in few cases, we have tried psychological therapy, after surgery.
Dr. Theresa Lily: Not for the caregivers?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Definitely not for the caregivers. However, I have researched online and found that there are certain caregiver societies and support groups. Yes, these exist, but they are not very prevalent, and the system is not well-established.
Ms. Subha: What is the recurrence rate for brain tumors? Does it vary by type?
Dr. Mayank Narani: Yes, a high-grade glioma will be, like a very recurrent tumor, low-grade gliomas are not so recurrent, and benign tumors generally don't recur.
Once again, it would depend on the type of tumor, which we normally, find out once we send the tumor for biopsy. Then we find out what kind of tumor it is.
After, I will be able to, counsel the patient on the type of tumor. It is not possible before surgery.
Dr. Theresa Lily: What final message do you have for the public about brain tumors?
Dr. Mayank Narani: So, number one, would be, like, all patients, all tumors are not the same. They should take expert advice.
Patients do require a lot of emotional support, social support, financial support, etc.
MedBound Times expresses sincere gratitude to Dr. Mayank Narani for sharing his valuable insights on our platform.
