Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma Multiforme – General Information

Glioblastoma Multiforme is a malignant tumor which is also the most common type of the glial tumors. In the case of adults, this disease affects and deteriorates the cerebral hemispheres whereas, in the case of young children, it affects the spinal cord. Studies have shown that this disease usually appears without any proof of a previous lesion but it can also be the result of untreated astrocytomas. The good part, however, is the fact that there are a lot of ways in which this disease can be treated: radiotherapy, surgery or chemotherapy. Glioblastoma Multiforme presents two major forms: primary and secondary. The first type usually affects adults older than 55 years and the tumor develops quite quickly, within 3 months. The second form was usually reported in the case of young children and, in this case, the tumors need a longer period of time in order to develop: from 1 to 9 years. However, this disease should not be considered to consist of a single complication as it usually involves a large number of mutations and genetic changes. This type of brain tumor is the most common one all over the world; it affects a large number of people every year and even though the medical research has evolved a lot during the past decades, doctors have not yet found an effective treatment. In what concerns the life expectation in the case of Glioblastoma Multiforme it depends a lot on the patient’s general health condition, but it is not longer than 1 year.

Glioblastoma Multiforme - Symptoms

Glioblastoma Multiforme - Treatment

In order to obtain a sure diagnosis, your doctor will probably recommend some imaging studies, as the laboratory test can not identify this disease. The most important test which should be applied to all the possible sufferers of Glioblastoma Multiforme is a brain study; this can be performed using a CT scan. In this case, the disease appears like multiple irregular shaped lesions. Other tests which can be done are the magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the positron emission tomography; optionally, the doctor can also choose a cerebral angiogram or an electroencephalography. Glioblastoma Multiforme is composed of a large number of pleomorphic cells which spread easily; this is the reason why, even if the signs and symptoms do not last for a long period of time, the tumor can be extremely large and it can occupy a big area of the cerebral lobe. However, this type of tumor can not be staged exactly, as the margins are never defined clearly. In some cases the tumor can spread in such a way that it can look like the patient presents multiple tumors.

There are several ways of treating Glioblastoma Multiforme, but none of them is completely effective and curative; this is why, even if the patients benefit from a treatment for this disease, the mortality rate is still quite high. The most important thing which should be discovered about this disease is the way in which the gene mutations appear and develop. However, the most common way of treatment is the radiation therapy combined with surgery and chemotherapy; but the effectiveness of this treatment varies a lot from a patient to another. In some cases, the radiography can result in a remission of the tumor and, therefore, of the neurological deficits. The therapeutic effects of radiotherapy can be increased if it is combined with radiosensitizers. This kind of treatment can prove effectively for about one and a half year. In what concerns the chemotherapy which can be administrated in the case of Glioblastoma Multiforme, it only proved to be effective in the case of about 20%of the sufferers. In these conditions, even though the surgery and the extraction of the tumor remains the best alternative, studies have shown that surgery can reduce the length of the survival. Considering this, nowadays the purposes of the surgery are to relieve the mass effects, to establish the diagnosis and, as far as possible, to facilitate the other types of treatment which are used by the doctors.

However, in order to benefit from the best way of treatment, a patient who suffers from Glioblastoma Multiforme is advised to consult a team of specialists and not only his personal doctor. He should be consulted by a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, a neuro-oncologist as well as a neurologist. In what concerns the further life-style of the sufferer, no major changes will be necessary. For example, he will not be asked to follow a certain diet and he will not have to restrict his physical activities. On the other hand, the patient will probably be advised to renounce at driving.