A Combination Approach to Treating Glioblastoma
- Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor. It is classified as a grade 4 glioma and presents significant treatment challenges due to its highly invasive nature, rapid growth, and resistance to many conventional therapies.
- If patients are able to undergo surgery, they will often undergo a carefully coordinated combination of radiation and chemotherapy afterwards.
- This dual approach is designed to target remaining cancer cells aggressively, with radiation therapy administered five days per week while patients simultaneously take daily oral chemotherapy medication.
This dual approach is designed to target remaining cancer cells aggressively, with radiation therapy administered five days per week while patients simultaneously take daily oral chemotherapy medication.
What To Know About Treating Glioblastoma
“Because of side effects that treatment can cause, and because of the importance of catching an adverse reaction early, it became clear to me some years ago that I should see patients weekly during the time that they’re getting their radiation,” Dr. Geoffrey Barger, a neuro-oncologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.
Following the initial combined treatment phase, patients typically transition to a monitoring schedule that includes brain scans approximately every eight weeks, with more frequent imaging if concerns arise.
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