Chemotherapy for Gbm Tumor

A Gbm tumor, or glioblastoma multiforme tumor, is a type of cancerous tumor that attacks the brain and spinal cord. Doctors may treat Gbm tumors with chemotherapy and other kinds of cancer treatment. Chemotherapy can cause some unpleasant side effects.

Glioblastoma Multiforme

• According to the American Cancer Society, glioblastoma multiforme tumors are the fastest growing and most common form of cancerous brain tumors that strike adults. These tumors spread extensively in the brain and are difficult to completely remove through surgery.

Glioblastoma Multiforme Treatment

• Gbm tumors cannot be cured with surgery, but a doctor may remove as much of the tumor as possible and follow up the surgery with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

• Doctors treat brain tumors, such as Gbm tumors, with chemotherapy drugs that are administered intravenously or directly into the cerebrospinal fluid or spinal canal. Physicians use courses of various chemotherapy drug combinations over three to four week cycles that kill cancer cells and inhibit their growth.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

• Chemotherapy patients may experience hair loss, nausea and fatigue as they go through a course of treatment. Cancer patients may notice that they bleed or bruise more easily and are more susceptible to infections as they undergo chemotherapy.

Survival Rate

• About 20 percent of patients with a glioblastoma tumor, such as Gbm, live for at least five years after their diagnosis, as reported by the American Cancer Society.