A systematic review protocol of recent surgical approaches to pediatric thalamic tumors

Abstract Thalamic tumors are relatively rare deep-seated lesions located in an eloquent region of the brain. They are commoner in the pediatric population and surgery is usually challenging with associated significant morbidity. Recent improvements in therapeutic approaches and surgical techniques have allowed a more accurate approach to these lesions and a reduction in morbidity and mortality. This protocol seeks to serve as an exhaustive review of literature to determine recent surgical approaches in the management of pediatric thalamic tumors. This study protocol seeks to guide the comprehensive review of literature describing surgical approaches to pediatric thalamic tumors and it follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guideline 2020. Three databases were determined to be primary sources of information: PubMed, Google Scholar and SCOPUS. All observational and human randomized controlled studies describing surgical management of thalamic tumors in the pediatric population will be included. Excluded studies include non-human randomized control trials, abstract only articles, letters to the editor, conference proceedings and single subject case reports. Our outcomes tumor characteristics, types of surgical intervention, surgical complications, recurrence rate and overall and progression-free survival. This study aims to describe various surgical approaches in the management of pediatric thalamic tumors and compare the outcomes in these patients.