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Prognosis of Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme is a malignant tumor of the glial tissue in the brain. According to medifocushealth.com, 50 percent of brain tumors begin in the glial cells, which is supportive tissue in the brain.

  1. Symptoms

    • Glioblastoma produces symptoms of a headache, seizures and lethargy. Weakness of motor functions becomes more prevalent with compression of brain structures. The speed of symptom presentation varies from a slow onset to sudden occurrence.

    Cause

    • There are no specific causes of gliomas, or brain tumors, as they occur sporadically. Increased frequency occurs with hereditary Li-Fraumeni syndrome, tuberous sclerosis and nonpolyposis colon cancer.

    Diagnosis

    • Diagnosis is completed with a physical examination and imaging with a CAT scan, MRI or MRS. A biopsy of the area confirms the diagnosis.

    Treatment

    • Glioblastoma is treated with surgery to remove the tumor followed by radiation therapy. In some cases, chemotherapy is added as a precautionary treatment.

    Prognosis

    • The survival rate for cases of glioblastoma is low. According to childrenshospital.org, only 5 percent of patients have a five-year survival rate. The best case scenario shows tumors radically removed and treated with radiation have a 25 percent five-year survival rate. Younger patients have higher survival rates.

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