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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Immunology

Research advances in brain-computer interfaces in oncology: from cancer pain management to neuroengineering for brain tumors and tumor-neural-immune interactions

  • Yawen Song1,2,3,4,5,6
  • HongXing Guo1,2,3,4,5
  • Zhen Yu1,2,3,4,5,7
  • Aihua Wang1,2,3,4,5
  • Jiaxin Li1,2,3,4,5,8
  • Zhengcun Pei9
  • Jiajing Chen1,2,3,4,5
  • Xinyun Zhang1,2,3,4,5,6
  • Hongsheng Guo1,2,3,4,5,6
  • Xue Wu10
  • Jingkun Zhang11
  • Chenxuan Wu1,2,3,4,5,6
1 more authors
  • Ximo Wang1,2,3,4,5,8
11 affiliations
  1. 1Central Hospital, Tianjin University
  2. 2Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases
  3. 3Tianjin Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center
  4. 4Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease
  5. 5Tianjin Institute of Geriatrics, Tianjin Third Central Hospital Branch
  6. 6Department of Oncology, Central Hospital, Tianjin University
  7. 7Department of Laboratory, Central Hospital, Tianjin University
  8. 8Department of General Surgery, Central Hospital, Tianjin University
  9. 9Medical School, Tianjin University
  10. 10Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
  11. 11Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco
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Abstract

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have made significant progress in fields such as neurorehabilitation, motor reconstruction, and alternative communication by capturing, decoding, and providing feedback on brain activity. In contrast, the application of BCI in oncology has a relatively late start, but its development path has gradually become clearer in recent years. On the one hand, brain-signal interfaces based on neural feedback and closed-loop regulation have begun to be used for interventions targeting cancer-related neurological symptoms, particularly cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), suggesting that supportive cancer care is shifting from empirical symptomatic management toward quantifiable, feedback-based, and adjustable neural state management. On the other hand, in the field of brain tumors, ECoG recording, high-density neural recording, and real-time decoding are providing complementary information on abnormal peritumoral networks and tumor-associated epilepsy within established function-guided surgical workflows. These recording and decision-support approaches are related to BCI engineering but are not automatically BCIs or substitutes for direct electrical stimulation mapping. More importantly, advances in tumor neuroscience suggest that neural activity not only reflects the disruption of host brain tissue by the tumor but may also participate in glioma growth and invasion through circuit remodeling and microenvironmental changes. This article provides a review of the fundamentals of BCI technology, the management of cancer-related symptoms, brain-computer interfaces in brain tumors, tumor neuroscience, tumor-neural-immune interactions, and their translational challenges. Current evidence suggests that the significance of BCI in oncology is no longer limited to assistive devices but is evolving into a novel engineering platform that integrates symptom control, surgical decision-making, and research into disease mechanisms.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{song2026research,
  title = {{Research advances in brain-computer interfaces in oncology: from cancer pain management to neuroengineering for brain tumors and tumor-neural-immune interactions}},
  author = {Yawen Song and HongXing Guo and Zhen Yu and Aihua Wang and Jiaxin Li and Zhengcun Pei and Jiajing Chen and Xinyun Zhang and Hongsheng Guo and Xue Wu and Jingkun Zhang and Chenxuan Wu and Ximo Wang},
  journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1953098},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1953098/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Research advances in brain-computer interfaces in oncology: from cancer pain management to neuroengineering for brain tumors and tumor-neural-immune interactions
AU  - Yawen Song
AU  - HongXing Guo
AU  - Zhen Yu
AU  - Aihua Wang
AU  - Jiaxin Li
AU  - Zhengcun Pei
AU  - Jiajing Chen
AU  - Xinyun Zhang
AU  - Hongsheng Guo
AU  - Xue Wu
AU  - Jingkun Zhang
AU  - Chenxuan Wu
AU  - Ximo Wang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/21
JO  - Frontiers in Immunology
DO  - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1953098
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1953098/full
AB  - Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have made significant progress in fields such as neurorehabilitation, motor reconstruction, and alternative communication by capturing, decoding, and providing feedback on brain activity. In contrast, the application of BCI in oncology has a relatively late start, but its development path has gradually become clearer in recent years. On the one hand, brain-signal interfaces based on neural feedback and closed-loop regulation have begun to be used for interventions targeting cancer-related neurological symptoms, particularly cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), suggesting that supportive cancer care is shifting from empirical symptomatic management toward quantifiable, feedback-based, and adjustable neural state management. On the other hand, in the field of brain tumors, ECoG recording, high-density neural recording, and real-time decoding are providing complementary information on abnormal peritumoral networks and tumor-associated epilepsy within established function-guided surgical workflows. These recording and decision-support approaches are related to BCI engineering but are not automatically BCIs or substitutes for direct electrical stimulation mapping. More importantly, advances in tumor neuroscience suggest that neural activity not only reflects the disruption of host brain tissue by the tumor but may also participate in glioma growth and invasion through circuit remodeling and microenvironmental changes. This article provides a review of the fundamentals of BCI technology, the management of cancer-related symptoms, brain-computer interfaces in brain tumors, tumor neuroscience, tumor-neural-immune interactions, and their translational challenges. Current evidence suggests that the significance of BCI in oncology is no longer limited to assistive devices but is evolving into a novel engineering platform that integrates symptom control, surgical decision-making, and research into disease mechanisms.
SN  - 1664-3224
ER  -