Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumors

Learning about a glioblastoma tumor can be troubling because they are aggressive and fast-growing. You’ll learn you have many decisions to make.

At Aurora Health Care, we have hundreds of specialists – from neurosurgeons and neuro oncologists to radiation oncologists and rehab therapists – all dedicated to providing you superior care for a glioblastoma. We’ll deliver the care and expertise you need to deal with this life-threatening condition.

Glioblastoma risk factors

Having had radiation therapy treatment of the head and neck area during childhood increases the risk of developing a glioblastoma tumor. There is also a higher risk in people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Turcot syndrome, Lynch syndrome, or constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome.

Glioblastomas are more common in men and White people. They can occur at any age and are most likely to appear between the ages of 65-74.

Testing to diagnose glioblastomas

Your doctor will order imaging tests to help diagnose a glioblastoma. An MRI will be performed with contrast dye added to your blood during the exam. Cancer cells pick up more contrast dye than normal cells, so any GBM tumor will have bright areas in the images.

You may also have other kinds of MRIs to help with glioblastoma diagnosis and treatment planning. Functional MRI (fMRI) is used to identify whether the tumor is near parts of the brain that control important functions like speech or movement.

MRI spectroscopy (MRS) may also be used because it provides information about chemical levels in the brain. Some chemicals are more abundant in glioblastoma tumors, and some are more common in normal brain tissues.

Your doctor may recommend genetic testing to learn more about your cancer.

Grades of glioblastomas

Tumors are assigned grades from 1 to 4 based on what the tumor cells look like under a microscope. Grade 1 tumors have cells that look a little abnormal and are likely to grow slowly. Grade 4 tumors have cells that look very abnormal and are likely to grow quickly. Glioblastomas are grade 4 tumors.

Some GBM tumors develop from grade 2 or grade 3 astrocytoma tumors. Others have been shown to appear as grade 4 tumors without evidence of starting with a lower grade tumor.

Glioblastoma multiforme treatment options

Every GBM tumor is different, so your doctor will make decisions about glioblastoma treatment based on your tumor and your health. They’ll consider the tumor’s location, size and type of cells. Your general health is another important consideration when it comes to treatment.

The first treatment method for a glioblastoma cancer is often brain surgery (craniotomy). Surgery allows your doctor to safely remove as much of the tumor as possible, relieve pressure on the brain and gather a biopsy (tissue sample) to confirm the diagnosis.

Other therapies for glioblastoma

Since glioblastoma cancers are so hard to remove completely, surgery is never considered a cure. You’ll receive one or more of the following types of therapies after surgery.

• Radiation therapy is focused on the glioblastoma to shrink it or destroy it. There are different ways of delivering radiation therapy. It can be delivered from an external source or from an internal source.
• Chemotherapy is sometimes called a medical therapy because it’s delivered through medicines that affect your whole body. Glioblasoma chemotherapy can be delivered through injections into your bloodstream or through pills that you swallow.
• Immunotherapy uses advanced medical knowledge to help your immune system make the cancer cells stop growing or kill them.
• Targeted therapy is a newer type of cancer therapy based on research that has identified parts of cancer cells called biomarkers. Targeted therapy for a glioblastoma can guide medication directly to those biomarkers without affecting healthy cells in your body.

Therapies offered after surgery are sometimes called adjuvant treatments. Sometimes radiation and chemotherapy for glioblastoma are delivered before surgery to try to shrink the tumor to make it easier to remove. When they’re used that way, they’re referred to as neoadjuvant treatments.

Research to find new and better ways of treating cancer like glioblastoma is ongoing. At Aurora Health Care, our doctors have access to clinical trials at our hospitals or at other hospitals. They’ll let you know if you qualify for glioblastoma treatment through one of those trials.

Managing side effects from glioblastoma treatment

Radiation and chemotherapy may cause side effects. Your doctor will let you know the side effects for any glioblastoma treatments they recommend.

Just as no two tumors are the same, no two people have the same side effects. We’ll work with you to manage them. It’s an important part of your glioblastoma treatment, so be sure to let your doctor know about any side effects.