Introduction
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. They account for about half of all malignant tumors that develop from brain tissue. In addition to glioblastoma, there are other astrocytic tumors (so-called astrocytomas), but they differ in the middle age of the disease, localization, typical symptoms, therapy and life expectancy.
Gliomas are classified according to the WHO classification from grade 1 (benign, slow growth) to grade 4 (malignant, fast growth). Glioblastoma (also known as glioblastoma multiforme due to its inhomogeneous and diverse appearance) belongs to the tumor group of gliomas (astrocytic tumors). These are derived from cells of the supporting tissue of the brain (glial cells), which comprise almost 90% of all cells in the brain. Glial cells are mainly located in the white matter of the brain (brain marrow).
What is the life expectancy with surgery?
In individual cases, only surgical removal (resection) of the tumor without subsequent chemo- and radiotherapy may be indicated. This is due to the fact that the patients’ quality of life is severely restricted by the sometimes very severe side effects of chemo- or radiotherapy. The mean survival time is therefore usually shorter when the tumor is removed surgically alone than when it is treated completely.
However, treatment of a glioblastoma usually consists of a combination of surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy. If all steps of this therapy are successful, the genetic component of the glioblastoma, the so-called MGMT methylation, still influences life expectancy. Depending on the genetic component, life expectancy is on average about 1 to 2 years.
What is the life expectancy in case of a relapse?
The therapy of a glioblastoma consists of the surgical removal of the tumor with subsequent radiation and chemotherapy. However, due to the tumor’s repressive growth and its spread via cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) to more distant areas of the brain, surgical removal can never remove all tumor cells. For this reason, recurrences (renewed growth of the tumor) occur in the further course of the tumor disease.
The average life expectancy in the event of a relapse is also approximately one year. The growth can be delayed by a few months by surgical removal of the recurrence, but the increase in local recurrences does not allow for a cure. Furthermore, recurrences usually show a worse response to subsequent chemo- and radiotherapy. Depending on the patient, surgical removal is therefore primarily used to improve the quality of life and to treat neurological deficits.
All articles in this series:
