Glioblastoma: Overview of Disease and Treatment

Abstract

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor in adults. Current treatment options at diagnosis are multimodal and include surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. Significant advances in the understanding of the molecular pathology of GBM and associated cell signaling pathways have opened opportunities for new therapies for recurrent and newly diagnosed disease. Innovative treatments, such as tumor-treating fields (TTFields) and immunotherapy, give hope for enhanced survival. Objectives This article reviews the background, risks, common complications, and treatment options for GBM. Methods A brief review of GBM, treatment options, and a look at new therapies that have been approved for new and recurrent disease are included in this article. Findings Despite aggressive resection and combined modality adjuvant treatment, most GBMs recur. Treatments, such as TTFields, drugs to target molecular receptors, and immunotherapy, are promising new options.

All‐trans retinoic acid eluting poly(diol citrate) wafers for treatment of glioblastoma

“…As most patients with GBMs die in less than a year and essentially none have long‐term survival, these tumors have drawn significant attention (Hanif, Muzaffar, Perveen, Malhi, & Simjee Sh, ; Shergalis, Bankhead 3rd, Luesakul, Muangsin, & Neamati, ). Unfortunately, the clinical effectiveness of systemic chemotherapy has been disappointing thus far with the mean survival being less than 15 months (Davis, ; Delgado‐Lopez & Corrales‐Garcia, ). Systemic toxicities, short half‐life, and limitations in traversing the blood–brain barrier are common problems limiting the clinical effectiveness of systemic agents.…”

Sensory changes and lipoprotein ratios in patients with brain cancers during cancer‐related therapy: A prospective cross‐sectional study

“…Several studies on cancer patients have been performed to determine the specific tumor markers, suitable treatment, and medication guidelines (Alphandéry, ; Davis, ). These efforts have been made to develop advanced treatments that can effectively treat cancer.…”

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles as Novel Tool in Glioma Treatment: An In vitro Study

“…Dealing with the fact that resistances against these therapeutical compounds due to different molecular reasons have also been described over the years [58,62,63]; it seems reasonable to develop alternative or complementary therapies which are as effective as the traditional approaches but with less side effects. This is especially true considering that anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastomas are among the most vascularized tumors and show a diffuse infiltrative growth resulting in an incomplete resection of the tumor mass and leading to recurrence [64]. For several years; nano-sized materials are in the focus as a promising therapeutical tool and offer ideal opportunities for targeted drug delivery [65,66].…”