The future of therapy for glioblastoma

Effective therapy for malignant gliomas has centered on traditional approaches such as surgery and radiation therapy. Over the past two decades, more innovative approaches involving the use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy have been developed. Although these techniques have improved the quality of survival for many patients, the median survival following diagnosis and adjuvant treatment still remains only about a year. Recently, genetically engineered viruses for gene transduction and targeted cell killing have been used successfully in the experimental treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. We provide a review of the current and possible future therapies for malignant glioma with the belief that molecular biologic and genetic techniques offer the greatest hope of significantly altering the course of disease.