Glioblastoma Treatments

Glioblastoma, or glioblastoma multiforme as it is sometimes known, is a fast-growing type of brain tumor. They are more commonly found in adults than children. As with any type of brain tumor, the prognosis is dependent on several factors, including the size and location of the tumor and the patient's overall health. There is no cure for glioblastoma and the survival rate is quite low, so most treatment options center on reducing or removing the tumor and lessening the symptoms of the tumor.

Surgery

• In some cases, surgery can be performed to remove all or part of a brain tumor. However, because the brain is the body's nerve center, surgery comes with some risks that each patient must weigh. And as with all surgical procedures, there is a risk of infection or bleeding. Small tumors are generally easier to remove surgically because it is less complicated to remove them from all the surrounding brain tissue they have grown into. Larger tumors present more surgical risks.

Chemotheraphy

• Chemotherapy drugs can be used to help shrink the size of a glioblastoma tumor, which can then help reduce some symptoms. One particular drug, temozolomide, when used in conjunction with radiation, has proven to be effective at increasing the median survival rate. Chemotherapy is most commonly administered orally or intravenously. Side effects are dependent on the particular drugs that are used, but many people experience severe nausea and vomiting and hair loss.

Radiation

• Radiation involves the use of high-energy particles to kill cancerous cells. It is most often done externally via X-ray. External radiation can be directed precisely at the tumor it is treating, but in some cases, especially after a tumor has been received surgically, whole-brain radiation is used to kill the cancer cells that may have been left behind. Similar to chemotherapy, side effects are dependent on the method of radiation that is used. The most commonly reported side effects are headaches and fatigue.

Targeted Drug Therapy

• Targeted drug therapy involves the use of drugs to block particular abnormalities in cancerous cells, causing them to die. One drug, Avastin, was FDA approved for the treatment of glioblastoma in May 2009 and was the first new approved treatment in about 10 years. Avastin is given intravenously to cut off the blood supply to a tumor, which then kills the cancer cells. It is also used to treat other cancers, including certain lung, breast and colorectal cancers.

Clinical Trials

• In many cases, clinical trials offer glioblastoma patients a chance at a cure or an increased survival rate. At any given time, clinical trials are being performed on new surgical techniques or drugs that may help treat or cure glioblastoma. However, because these treatments have not been fully studied or received government approval, the effects are not fully understood and they offer no guarantees.