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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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Image-Guided Resection of Glioblastoma and Intracranial Implantation of Therapeutic Stem Cell-seeded Scaffolds
Published on: July 16, 2018
Glioblastoma therapy: going beyond Hercules Columns
Annunziato Mangiola1, Carmelo Anile, Angelo Pompucci
1Institute of Neurosurgery, Catholic University School of Medicine, L.go A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|April 7, 2010
Summary
Glioblastoma multiforme remains a deadly brain cancer with poor survival rates. Understanding the
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cancer biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and lethal primary brain tumor in adults.
- Current median survival is 14 months, with <5% surviving 5 years, indicating limited therapeutic progress.
- Tumor complexity, including genetic instability and infiltration, challenges treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the biological phenomena of the normal brain adjacent to glioblastoma.
- To identify early steps in cancerogenesis within the tumor microenvironment.
- To uncover novel therapeutic targets for glioblastoma growth and recurrence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the tumor microenvironment in glioblastoma.
- Investigation of genetic and cellular alterations in adjacent brain tissue.
- Comparative study of tumor cells and surrounding 'activated' normal cells.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct biological characteristics in the brain tissue surrounding glioblastoma.
- Observed genetic instability and diverse cellular responses within the tumor.
- Highlighted the role of infiltrating cells in tumor progression.
Conclusions:
- The 'normal' brain adjacent to glioblastoma exhibits crucial early cancerogenic changes.
- Targeting these early events and infiltrating cells may offer new therapeutic strategies.
- Further research into the tumor microenvironment is essential for improving glioblastoma prognosis.
