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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Tumor Treating Field Therapy in Combination with Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma
Published on: October 27, 2014
Coincidence vs cause: cure in three glioblastoma patients treated with brachytherapy
Amir R Dehdashti1, Sunjay Sharma, Normand Laperriere
1Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Very long term survival after diagnosis of malignant glioma has been described in individual case reports. Survival of more than 10 years is extremely rare, especially when identified in 3 out of 71 patients assigned to one arm of a randomized controlled trial.
Patients:
Three patients survived 11, 16, and 18 years following the diagnosis of glioblastoma and treatment with surgery, conventional fractionated radiation, and high-activity iodine-125 boost brachytherapy as part of a randomized controlled trial.
Conclusion:
Despite this apparent cause and effect relationship, statistical analysis shows no relationship between these cures and treatment with brachytherapy. Cure of glioblastoma remains rare.
