Glioblastoma
The fastest growing glioma. It is graded 4.
What glioblastoma is
glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary is a glioma that grows fast. Doctors grade brain tumors from 1 to 4, and glioblastoma is grade 4. It is the most common brain tumor that starts in the brain in adults.
It sends thin threads of tumor cells into the brain around it. That is why surgery alone does not usually get all of it, even when the scan looks clear afterward.
Words you may see with it
Your report may say IDH-wildtype. Under the rules doctors use now, a tumor must be IDH-wildtype to be called glioblastoma. A grade 4 tumor with an IDH gene change is given a different name, and it behaves differently.
You may also see MGMT. That is a test on the tumor that can help your team choose treatment.
Some older papers say "glioblastoma multiforme" or GBM. That is the same tumor.
What to ask your team
- Was my tumor tested for IDH and MGMT?
- Where in my brain is it, and can surgery reach it?
- What is the plan, and in what order?
This is not medical advice. It explains research in plain words. Your care team knows your case. Talk with them before you make any decision about your treatment.