Glioblastoma Cure

A glioblastoma is a primary brain cancer (as opposed to a secondary cancer that spreads to the brain). The cause is generally unknown, although in certain rare cases they may result from exposure to chemicals. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but generally curable gioblastomas are removable by surgery, and radiation is then used to destroy any lingering cells.

Craniotomy

• Surgery is usually the first line of treatment for glioblastomas and has the highest chance of success at curing the brain cancer, as it can result in removal of the tumor if the tumor is accessible and small enough. A craniotomy is a surgical procedure in which an incision is made and the surgery takes place through an open skull. It is only an option for tumors that are not located too near critical structures or otherwise inaccessible, and for patients who are generally in good health. To be a potential cure, a craniotomy needs to remove the entire tumor. However, craniotomy can also be used as a form of palliative treatment, to relieve symptoms associated with glioblastoma by removing part of the tumor, when the tumor itself is too large to be removed. Because glioblastomas are often microscopic and invade lots of healthy tissue, the surgery generally needs to be followed by radiation in order to be curative, and is only curative in rare cases.

Ultrasonic Aspiration

• Ultrasonic aspiration is an alternative to a standard craniotomy procedure. This involves aiming ultrasonic waves at the tumor to fragment it. After the tumor is fragmented, the pieces are suctioned from the brain. Like a craniotomy, ultrasonic aspiration only cures patients whose cancer is not advanced, and even then, a course of radiation is usually required following the surgery. Chemotherapy delivered systemically (through an IV which administers the drug into the blood stream) is not usually successful for glioblastoma because the blood/brain barrier prevents chemotherapy drugs from penetrating the brain. Instead, chemotherapy is administered through BCNU polymer wafers that are implanted as part of a craniotomy or ultrasonic aspiration. These BCNU wafers are placed in the location where the tumor was and release chemotherapy drugs to the brain to attempt to destroy any cancer cells that linger after the surgery.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

• Stereotactic Radiosurgery is a less invasive procedure which may be used on patients who are not exhibiting disruptive symptoms as a result of the glioblastoma. It involves targeting radiation at a specific path, usually using a gamma knife which acts like a scalpel. Each individual radiation beam is weak, but when they collect at the area of the tumor, they can destroy the tumor. It may be administered in conjunction with standard radiation. Usually, only tumors 4 cm or smaller can be treated successfully with Stereotactic Radiosurgery.