Novel ablation methods for treatment of gliomas

•Primary brain tumors are challenging to treat due to the BBB, chemoresistant stem cells, hypoxia and anti-inflammatory environment.•CSCs possess unique cellular and molecular qualities that help them evade treatment, which increases the risk of reoccurrence.•Targeted ablation methods can by-pass the BBB, induce CSC cell death and harness immunomodulatory responses.•Preclinical studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of IRE and H-FIRE methods for treatment of primary brain tumors.