{"id":2191,"date":"2018-07-17T03:53:54","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T03:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/besthealth.guide\/?p=2191"},"modified":"2021-10-12T02:00:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T02:00:35","slug":"8-things-to-know-about-glioblastoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/8-things-to-know-about-glioblastoma\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Things to Know About Glioblastoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Glioblastoma also is known as GBM or glioblastoma multiforme is a type of brain cancer that is very aggressive. According to a report published by Health Grades USA, glioblastoma affects approximately 14,000 people in the United States of America. This brain tumor cancer became widely known after US Governor John McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma last year. Glioblastoma originates in the glial cells, the cells that support brain tissues. The glial cells reproduce rapidly thus glioblastoma, in turn, tends to attack the person suffering from it aggressively.<\/p>\n

There are two types of glioblastomas, that\u2019s is, de novo (primary) and secondary glioblastoma. A person affected with primary glioblastoma quickly shows symptoms of the glioblastoma while a person affected by secondary glioblastoma tends to take a long time before the symptoms of glioblastoma start showing. Currently, there is no cure for glioblastoma.<\/p>\n

The 8 following point\u2019s detail the things that you need to know about glioblastoma:<\/p>\n

1. Glioblastoma Is More Prevalent Among Adults<\/h3>\n

According to Healthgrades USA, glioblastoma<\/a> affects a high number of adults in comparison to young children and infants. A study conducted by Health Grades found out that 35 to 40 percent of all the adults diagnosed with cancerous tumors in the United States in 2016 had glioblastoma. There are different reasons attributed to this. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, age plays a major role in glioblastoma. The association stated that glioblastoma originates in the glial cells, cells that develop as one grows.<\/p>\n

Healthgrades USA concurs with the American Brain Tumor Association stating that the mere fact that glial cells develop and reproduce in large numbers as the person ages play a part in it being more prevalent among adults. Healthgrades USA also went on to state that glioblastoma is much more prevalent in adult males than in adult females. It\u2019s not yet proved why men are affected by glioblastoma than females.<\/p>\n

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2. Seizures Are Deemed A Symptom Of Glioblastoma<\/h3>\n

The American Brain Tumor Association stated that seizures<\/a> may be a symptom of brain tumors including glioblastoma. It\u2019s not yet proven beyond doubt if seizures are indeed a symptom of glioblastomas but many people that have been diagnosed with glioblastoma have been found to have uncontrollable seizures. Besides seizures, they are also other symptoms deemed to be related to glioblastomas. These include speech disturbances. People affected by glioblastoma may have difficulties in expressing their thoughts verbally.<\/p>\n

Affected people may also have challenges with their eyesight often times seeing things double, they may also have challenges remembering even simple things, they may also have difficulties walking and will constantly vomit, and have unending headaches. Affected people may also feel weary at all times. These symptoms may increase as glioblastomas grow. Symptoms may also increase aggressiveness depending on the location of the glioblastomas. This is because the growing glioblastomas will be putting pressure on the brain.<\/p>\n

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3. Glioblastoma Is Incurable<\/h3>\n

Glioblastoma at least for now is incurable. The American Brain Tumor Association said that medical practitioners are still trying to find a cure for glioblastoma. Though incurable, medical practitioners state that any person affected or showing signs of suffering from glioblastomas can some of the widely reported ways of easing brain tumor<\/a> pain available at several health sites. There are a number of factors that work to make it difficult for medical practitioners to find a way of curing glioblastoma.<\/p>\n

One such factor emanates from the fact that glioblastoma originates in glial cells, cells that reproduce in thousands on any given day. In order to cure glioblastoma, medical practitioners would first need to find a way that they can reach all these cells in one go. Secondly, due to brain structuring, it\u2019s difficult to get any form of medicine into the brain. This then limits the options that medical practitioners have.<\/p>\n

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4. Survival Rates For Glioblastoma Are Increasing<\/h3>\n

Glioblastoma is affecting an increasing number of people year on year but the good thing nowadays is that the survival rate for people affected by glioblastoma is increasing at a fast rate. As a cure for glioblastoma is still to be found, it\u2019s imperative that medical practitioners work hard to ensure that those affected by glioblastoma cancer<\/a> continue to live longer and longer. Healthgrades USA state that there is a remarkable increase in the survival rates for glioblastoma.<\/p>\n

In the early 1990s, anyone who was diagnosed with glioblastoma has 8 to 15 months of survival. That has since increased as data from the past five years show that anyone diagnosed with glioblastoma can survive for a period of 18 months or over. The worrying factor, however, comes with the 5 year survival period. Healthgrades USA state that only 4 percent of the people diagnosed with glioblastoma survive for 5+ years.<\/p>\n

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\"\"5. Surgery Can Help Relieve Glioblastoma Symptoms<\/h3>\n

As has been alluded to before, there is no cure for glioblastoma. However, people suffering from glioblastoma can find solace in the fact that they can relieve pain (if painkillers<\/a> are no longer effective) through surgery. People suffering from glioblastoma can approach any medical institution that specializes in brain tumor if looking for a glioblastoma surgery. During the glioblastoma surgery, surgeons will remove as much brain cancer cells that they can.<\/p>\n

By removing the brain cells holding the cancerous tumors, surgeons will help to relieve the pain felt by the patient. Removing brain cancer cells will also help to slow down the growth and reproduction of the cancerous cells. To the patient, the removal of cancerous cells will result in a reduction of glioblastoma symptoms. Patients will be able to see clearly if their vision had become blurry, they will also have less painful headaches and they won\u2019t vomit on regular occasions.<\/p>\n

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6. Doctors Looking At Using Vaccines To Cure Glioblastoma<\/h3>\n

While there is no cure for glioblastoma as of today, doctors are working day and night to find a cure for glioblastoma in a bid to help save the lives of thousands of people that are affected by glioblastoma not only in the United States but also abroad. While the doctors have so far looked at various possible cures, there is one cure which is looking promising.<\/p>\n

The dendritic cell vaccine<\/a> is the likely cure that doctors believe will bear fruit in the fight against glioblastoma. This vaccine sees the doctors take the immune cells of the patient, a high degree of proteins will be added to the immune cells and injected back into the body. Once in the body, it\u2019s believed that the cells will fight other cells and their excessive protein will destroy the other cells. Other possible cures that are showing potential signs of success include combination therapy and CAR T-cell therapy.<\/p>\n

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7. No Proven Causal Factors To Date<\/h3>\n

While glioblastoma has been in existence for quite some time now, what causes this cancer is still a mystery that\u2019s giving doctors and scientists sleepiness nights. Several experiments have been conducted to ascertain what may be the factors that cause glioblastoma but none has managed to pinpoint the exact cause\/s. scientists believe that once they know the causal factor\/s, they will be able to find cures for glioblastoma.<\/p>\n

Doctors however while not 100 percent sure of glioblastoma causes have outlined a number of factors of what they think may be the causal factors of glioblastoma. The first factor pertains to radiation exposure. It\u2019s proven that some brain tumors<\/a> are caused by radiation exposure but this is not proven as yet with glioblastoma. Other factors are that glioblastoma affects males more than females, affects people of Asian and Caucasian ethnicity than any other ethnicity. Glioblastoma as already alluded to before also affects adults more than young children.<\/p>\n

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8. Glioblastoma More Prevalent In Europe Than In Any Other Continent<\/h3>\n

According to data released by the National Brain Tumor Society, Europe has the highest number of glioblastoma patients than any other continent. The National Brain Tumor Society released a report covering a five year period in 2017 which states that three in every 100,000 people in Europe are diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Out of these people, 15.4 percent are glioblastomas.<\/p>\n

The reasons behind this are unknown but doctors believe that this is a result of the availability of many of the perceived glioblastoma causal factors. Europe consists of people of Asian and Caucasian ethnicity thus if ethnicity has much to do with glioblastoma as is believed, then this might be the main reason. Europe also has a high percentage of adults (in general) and male adults. As Europe experiences some hot summers and on occasion heatwaves, this may lead to radiation<\/a> exposure hence the high prevalence of glioblastomas.\r\n

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