Causes
Most glioblastomas develop sporadically, i.e. sporadically and often without known cause. Studies have shown that only ionizing radiation (e.g. high-dose X-rays, for example during radiation therapy) is considered to be the triggering cause, exposure to which can lead to glioblastoma. Whether or not the glioblastoma is hereditary has not yet been conclusively clarified.
However, it is known that people with other hereditary diseases have an increased risk of developing glioblastoma. These rare diseases includeB. Turcot syndrome (combination of polyps in the intestine and brain tumors), neurofibromatosis type 1 and 2 (occurrence of neurofibromas = nerve tumors), tuberous sclerosis (combination of brain tumors, skin changes and benign tumors in other organ systems) and Li-Fraumeni syndrome (multiple tumor disease). However, the majority of all glioblastomas are probably caused sporadically by spontaneous mutations that lead to defects in the astrocytes and thus to uncontrolled cell growth or cell proliferation.
Diagnosis
The means of choice for the diagnosis of a glioblastoma are imaging procedures such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which are usually performed with the aid of a contrast medium to better visualize the tumor. However, a glioblastoma can only be definitively confirmed and secured by a brain biopsy or the removal of tumor tissue, which is then histologically examined. In order to exclude differential diagnoses (e.g. lymphomas, brain abscesses), liquor punctures and the writing of an electroencephalogram (EEG) can be performed in individual cases.
Due to the fact that glioblastomas belong to the rather very aggressive brain tumors and often have already grown infiltratively at the time of diagnosis, so that the entire brain is usually already infested with tumor cells, a complete removal of the tumor is usually no longer possible. Therapeutically, therefore, only various procedures are available that serve to reduce tumor mass but do not lead to complete healing. On the one hand, neurosurgical operations are used to remove the main mass of the tumor, whereby this can be done either classically or innovatively using fluorescence-assisted surgery. The operation is usually followed by irradiation of the brain and chemotherapy with cytostatic drugs. For the treatment of the brain edema surrounding the tumor, glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisone) are classically given.
