What is Glioblastoma (GBM)

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and most common type of primary brain tumour in adults, with around 3,200 people diagnosed each year in the UK

 

Glioblastoma or GBM are highly aggressive, rapidly growing tumours that infiltrate surrounding brain tissue, making them especially challenging to treat. They also have a high likelihood of recurrence following treatment.

 

If a glioblastoma has something called MGMT promoter methylation, it means a gene that normally helps repair DNA is switched off. This makes the cancer cells less able to fix the damage caused by chemotherapy, so the treatment – especially with a drug like temozolomide – is more likely to work. As a result, patients with this gene change often respond better to chemotherapy and may have a better outlook.

 

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer, and at present, it is generally considered to be incurable.

 

While current treatment approaches can help to extend survival and improve the quality of life for some patients, the cancer typically returns and continues to progress despite treatment.

 

Factors that can influence prognosis include age, performance status, extent of surgical resection, and molecular markers such as MGMT promoter methylation. Long-term survival is rare but possible in a small subset of patients.