Glioblastoma brain tumors are basically high-grade astrocytomas & which are also known as glioblastoma multiforme or GBM in short. Glioblastoma brain tumors are cancerous brain tumors which most frequently occur in middle-aged & older adults. GBM are a type of glioma & which typically originate in connective cells of brain known as glial. Glial cells are star-shaped cells & are termed astrocytes. Astrocytes are found to occur throughout brain & spine; so also GBM tumors can occur in a wide variety of locations all around the central nervous system. However, most commonly GBM develop in central hemispheres, where they also infiltrate surrounding brain tissues & therefore make it difficult to surgically remove the tumor. Gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumors which are found in adults.
Clinical history of GBM patients is usually short, less than 3 months in more than 50 percent of the cases. Common signs & symptoms of GBM include the following.
Neurologic signs & symptoms may either be general or focal & reflecting the location of the tumor.
Etiology of Glioblastoma brain tumors is unknown in most cases. Suggested causes of brain tumor however include the following.
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There are no specific laboratory tests which can help diagnose GBM tumors. However, tumor genetics are quite useful in predicting possible response to adjuvant therapy. Nevertheless, imaging examinations of brain are essential for making proper diagnosis. Some of these include the following.
Other diagnostic measures which may also be considered include the following
However, in most cases of GBM tumors, complete staging is neither possible nor practical. GBM tumors do not have any clearly defined margins & generally tend to invade locally while spreading along white matter pathways & creating appearance of multiple glioblastoma brain tumors or multicentric gliomas upon imaging studies.
Also Read: Meningioma Brain Tumors
Presently, there is no treatment which is curative for glioblastoma brain tumors. However, standard treatments consist of the following.
Key points regarding radiotherapy for Glioblastoma brain tumors include the following.
Optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for GBM is not yet clearly defined, but adjuvant chemotherapy is found to yield significant benefits of survival in more than 25 percent of the patients.
Since glioblastoma brain tumors cannot be surgically cured, goals of surgical intervention remain as follows.
Stereotactic biopsy is followed by radiation therapy in some cases like for patients whose GBM is located in eloquent areas of the brain, patients in poor medical condition who cannot afford to undergo general anesthesia & for patients whose GBM tumors have minimal mass effect.
Also Read: Different Types of Brain Tumor Surgery
India is in fact one of the best places on earth for international patients to avail affordable treatment for glioblastoma brain tumor. Indian healthcare sector comprises of some of the best neurosurgeons & radiologists alongside numerous nationally & internationally accredited specialty & multispecialty hospital facilities which provide low cost medical procedures when compared to availability in other countries. IndianMedTrip is a globally reputed one-stop healthcare tourism company which is associated with top neurosurgeons & multispecialty hospital facilities in order to provide excellent quality of medical procedures including treatments for glioblastoma brain tumors to people from all around the world at reasonable costs.