Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive, rapidly growing astrocytoma, or nerve-tissue tumor of the central nervous system. The tumor begins in star-shaped glial cells that form the essential elements of the nervous tissue especially in the brain, spinal cord and ganglia. Glioblastoma tumors in adults tend to be occurred in the brain more often than spinal cord and ganglia. (See References 2) They grow quickly and metastasize to other parts of the brain rapidly, making them difficult to treat. As with glioblastoma, recurrence can happen after successful initial treatment. (See References 1)
Surgery
Surgery is the mainstay of glioblastoma tumors in all cases. The surgical approach depends on the location of the tumors in the brain. Also, the brain surgery has the potential for the patient to leave with an unacceptable neurological deficit. (References 1) But the principles and practice of surgery do not suggest a patient's health condition to be worse by surgery. The goal of brain tumor surgery is to maximize the tumor resection while retaining the patient's health the same or better followed by the excision. For example, when a tumor is located near vital brain structures, biopsy--the procedure of obtaining a small tissue sample--is carried out by using a small needle, thereby avoiding any therapeutic interventions to sensitive brain areas. (See References 4) In addition, recurrence can occur long after the initial surgical resection, because glioblastoma tumors are composed of diffusely infiltrating cells, so they cannot be completely removed by surgery. (See References 1)
Radiation Therapy
Patients with high-grade gliomas typically undergo radiation therapy as a subset of their initial therapy. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. The treatment session begins within two to four weeks after surgery. (See References 4) According to Mayo Clinic, median survival for the patients receiving radiation therapy is nearly double as compared to supportive treatment alone. (See References 1)
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another active therapy for recurrent high-grade gliomas. Chemotherapy drugs harm those cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances, and this is termed as targeted therapy. But cells that divide fast are not only found in tumors but also in hair follicles, bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, normal cells can be affected by chemotherapy as well. As a result, the decreased output of any of these healthy cells can lead to various problems, including sterility. (References 4)
