About Glioblastoma Brain Cancer

A glioma is the name given for a tumor that begins in the brain or spine. There are different types. A glioblastoma (Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM) is commonly considered the most dangerous and aggressive type of brain tumor. Upon diagnosis, the prognosis is unfortunately poor, as 25 percent of patients will survive to live another two years.

Facts to know about glioblastoma:

• Glioblastoma tumors can technically form at any age but the majority of them are found in people over fifty.


• More than 50 percent of all tumors found within the tissues of the brain and 20 percent of tumors found within the skull are glioblastomas


• No definite causes of glioblastoma have been determined. However, it is known that it is more common in males than females. Because there does not seem to be any genetic factor in a peron developing glioblastoma, the most common hypothesis is that there is some sort of viral link.


• Unlike other cancers, glioblastoma is not thought to be caused by smoking, diet or electromagnetic fields.


• White or Asian middle-aged males run the highest risk of glioblastoma.

Symptoms depend on the size, location and advancement of the tumor but in general share the same characteristics as in other brain tumors including:

• Headaches that are deep and dull that prolong for lengthened amounts of time with no relief, or that recur on a continual basis


• Sudden and/or gradual onset difficulty with walking or speaking


• Dizziness and vomiting


• Seizures


• Abnormal pulse or breathing patterns


• Unexpected eyesight problems or double vision

Though chances of survival are slim, there are a number of treatments that are used to combat glioblastoma, usually with the hope of extending one's life for another few months to couple of years:

• chemotherapy


• radiation


• radiosurgery


• corticosteroids (treatment using of a type of steroid hormone produced in the andrenal cortex)


• antiangiogenic therapy (treatment using drugs that control blood vessel growth)


• surgery


• gene transfer (experimental)