Description

Glioblastoma is a type of cancer that begins as a growth of the cells in the brain or the spinal cord. It grows rapidly and can invade and destroy healthy tissue. Glioblastoma forms from cells called astrocytes that support nerve cells.

Glioblastoma can occur at any age. But it tends to occur more frequently in older adults. Glioblastoma symptoms may include headaches that continue to get worse, nausea and vomiting, blurred or double vision, difficulty speaking, impaired sense of touch, and seizures. There may also be problems with balance, coordination, and movement of the parts of the face or body.

There is No cure for glioblastoma. The treatments can reduce the growth of cancer cells and reduce symptoms.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of glioblastoma may include:

  • Headache, especially one that hurts the most in the morning.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Confusion or a decrease in brain function, such as problems with thinking and understanding of the information.
  • The loss of memory.
  • Changes in personality or irritability.
  • Changes in vision, such as blurred vision, double vision or loss of peripheral vision.
  • Difficulties in speaking.
  • Problems with balance or coordination.
  • Muscle weakness in the face, arms, or legs.
  • Reduction of the sensation of touch.
  • Seizures, especially in someone who has not had a seizure before.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with a doctor or other health care professional if you have signs or symptoms that worry you.

Causes

The cause of the majority of glioblastomas is not known.

Glioblastoma occurs when cells in the brain or in the spinal cord develop changes in their DNA. Health professionals sometimes call these changes, mutations or variations. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA contains the instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions that tell cells to die at a set time. In cancer cells, changes in DNA to give different instructions. The changes, to tell the cancer cells to make many more cells quickly. Cancer cells can continue living when healthy cells would die. This makes too many cells.

The cancer cells form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to the press on nearby nerves and parts of the brain or of the spinal cord. This leads to glioblastoma symptoms and can cause complications. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of glioblastoma include:

  • Aging. Glioblastomas are more common in older adults. But the glioblastoma can occur at any age.
  • Being exposed to radiation. The people who have been exposed to a type of radiation called ionizing radiation have an increased risk of glioblastoma. An example of the ionizing radiation is radiation therapy to treat cancer.
  • Inherited syndromes that increase the risk of cancer. In some families, the changes in the DNA passed from parents to children can increase the risk of glioblastoma. Hereditary syndromes may include Lynch syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Genetic testing can detect these syndromes.

Researchers have not found anything that you can do to prevent glioblastoma.

Diagnosis

Tests and procedures used to diagnose glioblastoma include:

  • Neurological examination. This type of exam, vision exam, hearing, balance, coordination, strength, and reflexes. Problems in one or more of these areas may provide clues about the part of the brain glioblastoma affects.
  • Imaging tests. Imaging tests can help you to find the location and the size of a glioblastoma. Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging test used the most. Sometimes you have an injection of a dye into a vein before your mri . This helps to create better photographs. Other imaging tests may include CT and positron emission tomography, also called PET scan.
  • The removal of a sample of tissue for analysis.A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for analysis. You can make with a needle before surgery or during surgery to remove the glioblastoma. The sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis. Tests can indicate whether the cells are cancerous and if you are glioblastoma cells. Special tests of the cancer cells can give to your health care team for more information about his glioblastoma, and the prognosis. The computer uses this information to create a treatment plan.

The removal of a sample of tissue for analysis. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for analysis. You can make with a needle before surgery or during surgery to remove the glioblastoma. The sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis. Tests can indicate whether the cells are cancerous and if you are glioblastoma cells.

Special tests of the cancer cells can give to your health care team for more information about his glioblastoma, and the prognosis. The computer uses this information to create a treatment plan.

Treatment

Glioblastoma treatment can begin with the surgery. But surgery is not always an option. For example, if the glioblastoma is ever more deeply in the brain, could be too risky to remove all of the cancer. Other treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, can be recommended as a first-line treatment.

What treatments are best for you will depend on your particular situation. Your health care team considers the size of the glioblastoma and that is found in the brain. Your treatment plan will also depend on your health and your preferences.

Glioblastoma treatment options include:

The surgery to remove the glioblastoma

A surgeon of the brain, also known as a neurosurgeon, works to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Glioblastoma often grows in the healthy brain tissue, so it might not be possible to remove all the cancer cells. Most of the people have other treatments after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that are left.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful rays of energy. The energy can come from sources such as X-rays and protons. During radiation therapy, you lie on a table while a machine moves around you. The machine directs radiation at certain points in your brain.

Radiation therapy is usually recommended after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Can be combined with chemotherapy. For people who are unable to undergo surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be the primary treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy treats the cancer with strong medications. A chemotherapy medication taken as a pill is often used after surgery and during and after radiation therapy. Other types of chemotherapy is given through a vein may be the treatment of glioblastoma that it returns.

Sometimes thin, circular containing chemotherapy drug could be released in the brain during the surgery. The wafers dissolve slowly, the release of drugs to kill cancer cells.

Tumor treating fields therapy

Tumor treating fields therapy, also known as TTF, is a treatment that uses electrical energy to the damage of glioblastoma cells. TTF makes it difficult for the cells to multiply.

During this treatment, adhesive pads are attached to the scalp. You might need to shave the head so that the pads can stick to. Connect the wires of the pickups to a portable device. The device generates an electric field that damages the cells in glioblastoma.

TTF works with the chemotherapy. It could be argued, after the radiation therapy.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy uses drugs that attack specific chemicals in cancer cells. By blocking these chemicals, specific treatments can cause cancer cells to die.

Their glioblastoma cells can be tested to see if the targeted therapy can help. Targeted therapy is sometimes used after surgery if the glioblastoma may not be completely eliminated. Targeted therapy can also be used for glioblastoma that comes back after treatment.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials are studies of new treatments. These studies provide an opportunity to test the latest treatments. The risk of side effects may not be known. Ask your health care professional if you might be able to be in a clinical trial.

Treatments to control the symptoms

If the glioblastoma is causing symptoms, you may need a medication to make it more comfortable. Of the medications that you need depends on your situation. The options may include:

  • Medications to control seizures.
  • Steroid medicine to reduce swelling in the brain.
  • Medications to help with the headaches.

Palliative care

Palliative care is a special type of health care that helps someone with a serious illness to feel better. If you have cancer, palliative care can help relieve the pain and other symptoms. A health care team that may include doctors, nurses and other specially trained health professionals providing palliative care. The care team's goal is to improve the quality of life for you and your family.

Palliative care specialists work with you, your family and your care team. They provide an extra layer of support, while you have cancer treatment. You can have palliative care at the same time that you are getting strong cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

The use of palliative care with other medical treatments can help people with cancer feel better and live longer.

Alternative medicine

Alternative medicine therapies are unable to cure glioblastoma. But some integrative treatments can be combined with your health care team care to help deal with the treatment of cancer and the side effects, such as anxiety.

People with cancer often feel distress. If you are distressed, you may have trouble sleeping and find that you're constantly thinking about your cancer.

Talk about your feelings with your health care team. The specialists can help you with coping strategies. For some people, medications can help.

Integrative medicine treatments that can help you feel better include:

  • Art therapy.
  • Exercise.
  • Massage therapy.
  • Meditation.
  • Music therapy.
  • The relaxation exercises.
  • Spirituality.

Talk with your health care team if you are interested in these options of treatment.

Coping and support

With time, you will find what helps you to deal with the uncertainty and fear of a cancer diagnosis. Until then, you can find help for:

Learn enough about glioblastoma to make decisions about your care

Ask your health care team about your cancer, including your test results, treatment options, and, if you like, your prognosis. As you learn more about glioblastoma, you can be more confident in making treatment choices.

Keep friends and family close

Keep your close relationships strong can help you deal with glioblastoma. Friends and family can provide the practical support that you may need, such as help to take care of your house if you're in the hospital. And that you can serve as emotional support when you feel overwhelmed by the fact of having cancer.

Find someone to talk to

Find someone who is willing to listen to you talk about your hopes and concerns. This can be a friend or family member. The concern and understanding of a counselor, medical social worker, clergy member or cancer support group may also be useful.

Ask your health care team about support groups in your area. Other sources of information are the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

Preparing for your appointment

Make an appointment with a doctor or other health care professional if you have any symptoms that worry you.

If your healthcare provider thinks you might have a brain tumor such as glioblastoma, you may be referred to a specialist. Specialists who care for people with glioblastoma, which include:

  • Doctors who specialize in the brain of diseases of the nervous system, called neurologists.
  • The doctors use drugs to treat cancer, called the medical oncologists.
  • The medical uses of radiation to treat the cancer, called radiation oncologists.
  • Doctors who specialize in the brain and nervous system cancers, called neuro-oncologists.
  • The surgeons operating on the brain and the nervous system, called neurosurgeons.

Because appointments can be brief, it is a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you prepare.

What you can do

  • Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there is anything that you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
  • Write down any symptoms you have, including those that do not seem to be related to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Write important personal information, including major stresses or recent life changes.
  • Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements you are taking and the dose.
  • Have a family member or friend. Sometimes it can be very difficult to remember all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who goes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write questions to ask their health care team.

Your time with your health care team is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of their time together. A list of questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For glioblastoma, some basic questions to ask include:

  • In what part of the brain is my cancer is found?
  • Has my cancer spread to other parts of my body?
  • More evidence is needed?
  • What are the treatment options?
  • How much does it cost each treatment to increase my chances of a cure?
  • What are the possible side effects of each treatment?
  • How will each treatment affect my daily life?
  • There is a treatment option which you think is the best?
  • What would you recommend to a friend or family member in my situation?
  • You should see a specialist?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What sites do you recommend?
  • What is going to determine whether I should plan for a follow-up visit?

Do not hesitate to ask other questions.

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer questions, such as:

  • When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
  • The symptoms been continuous or occasional?
  • How severe are the symptoms?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
Symptoms and treatment of Glioblastoma