Thank you for visiting GliomaEd.com! You are about to leave GliomaEd.com to access information regarding a continuing education self-study monograph, "Adult Glioblastoma: Optimal Approaches to a Challenging Diagnosis." This monograph is available to view as an online pdf and/or to print. This activity is intended to provide healthcare professionals with clinical information that will contribute to improving competence in the treatment or management of adult patients with glioblastoma. To access the monograph, please click on the graphic below.  This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuro-oncologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, pharmacists, oncology nurses, and registered nurses involved in the care of adult patients with glioblastoma. After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to: - Describe the epidemiology of adult glioblastoma
- Outline the role of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy in the initial treatment of adult glioblastoma
- Review treatment options for recurrent glioblastoma
- Identify treatment challenges in special patient populations
- Review emerging therapies for adult glioblastoma
To learn more, click here. Glioblastomas (GBMs) account for approximately 50% of all gliomas of the central nervous system.1 GBMs are are associated with genetic alterations of several critical signaling and tumor suppressor pathways.2 Presenting symptoms of GBMs are most often those of altered mental status, including personality change or language disturbance, lateralized weakness, seizure, or headache. Confirmation of an intracranial mass lesion (and a presumptive diagnosis of GBM) is initially obtained by noninvasive brain imaging, most often magnetic resonance imaging with contrast administration. Nonetheless, diagnosis requires pathologic confirmation obtained by biopsy or resective surgery. Temozolomide-based chemotherapy is used both with concurrent involved-field radiotherapy and after completion of radiotherapy. Despite improvement in overall survival of newly diagnosed GBM, treatment remains noncurative, with more than 50% of patients dying of disease progression within 18 months of diagnosis.3,4 There is hope for improving these outcomes as healthcare professionals gain a better understanding of the molecular biology of GBMs and utilize GBM-specific targeted therapies more frequently. 1 Central Brain Tumor Registry of the US (CBTRUS) data, 1998-2002.
2 The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network. Nature. 2008;455:1061-1068.
3 Fine HA. In: DeVita VT Jr., et al. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins;
2000:1834-1897.
4 National Cancer Institute. Available at: www.cancer.gov. Accessed March 30, 2009. To access this monograph, click here to go to the program description homepage (will open in a new window.) GliomaEd.com and its suppliers and supporters do not control, endorse, or make any representations regarding the accuracy of content on third-party websites. Click here to return to GliomaEd.com | 
