Glioblastoma brain cancer is actually the most common type of malignant brain tumor in adults, and the prognosis is grim.
“He’s finished,” one might think upon learning that someone has this very high grade cancer.
This type of brain tumor is also commonly known as glioblastoma multiforme.
It’s aggressive and merciless.
Incidence of Glioblastoma Brain Cancer in the U.S.
• 3.19 per 100,000 people according to Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (July 22, 2014); and 4.67 to 5.73 per 100 000 (Neuro-Oncology, July 2014).
• Average age of diagnosis is 64
• Can strike any age; 1.1 to 3.6 per 100 000 infants (Contemporary Oncology, 2014)
• More common in men than women: 1.26 cases to 1, and 3.3 to 1 for infants (Contemporary Oncology, 2014)
• Average survival rate with treatment after diagnosis is 15 months.
• Five year survival rate with treatment is less than five percent.
Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Symptoms
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons lists the following symptoms.
• Persistent headaches
• Blurred or double vision
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Personality or mood changes
• Cognitive impairment
• New-onset seizure
• Gradual onset of speech difficulty
Why is a GBM so lethal?
Glioblastoma is particularly difficult to treat due to several factors.
Firstly, its highly aggressive nature makes it one of the most rapidly growing and invasive brain tumors.
The tumor cells infiltrate surrounding brain tissue, making complete surgical removal difficult (National Brain Tumor Society, 2020).
Additionally, glioblastomas often exhibit resistance to standard treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.
This resistance is partly due to the tumor’s heterogeneous cellular composition and the presence of a blood-brain barrier that limits the effectiveness of many drugs (American Brain Tumor Association, 2021).
Furthermore, glioblastoma cells can develop multiple mechanisms to evade the immune system and repair themselves after medical treatment (Cancer Research UK, 2022).
