Glioblastoma

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, you may have questions about available treatment options and prognosis. We’re here to help. Learning as much as you can about the disease can help you feel better prepared to speak with doctors about your condition and possible treatment. 

About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma, also called glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, is a type of primary brain cancer. It arises in brain cells called astrocytes, a type of supportive (glial) cell that makes up the connecting tissue of the brain. Glioblastoma is a fast-growing cancer that can spread quickly throughout the brain. It does not usually spread to other areas of the body. Doctors classify brain tumors from grade I to grade IV based on their aggressiveness. Glioblastoma is considered a grade IV tumor, the most aggressive type. (Glioblastoma is not categorized by stages, as cancers usually are.)

Glioblastoma Symptoms
Symptoms of glioblastoma are related to pressure in the brain and may include:

• headache
• nausea
• vomiting
• drowsiness
• personality or mood changes
• speech difficulties
• eyesight changes

Glioblastoma Treatment
Glioblastoma tumors are challenging to remove completely with surgery. For that reason, they are difficult to cure. However, new approaches and clinical trials are showing promise at delaying when the disease comes back and extending survival.

Our team of radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-radiologists, neuro-pathologists, neuro-oncologists, and medical physicists at Yashoda Cancer Institute have unparalleled experience in treating glioblastoma. We meet regularly to review and discuss the best care plan for each patient. The goals of treatment are to help ease patients’ symptoms and to slow or stop the growth of glioblastoma tumors.

Our treatment approaches include:

• MRI-guided microneurosurgery
• stereotactic radiosurgery
• image-guided radiation or re-irradiation
• chemotherapy
• immunotherapy