Glioblastoma Multiforme

Question: Glioblastoma Multiforme? I recently lost my Mother to a Grade 4 Brain Tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme) and am desperately seeking anyone that has been through the same situation either having had it yourself or one of your loved ones went through it. Thanks in advance.

Answer: I believe this type of brain tumor to be the ugliest to experience for both the patient and the family, as the prognosis is always poor. I'm sorry you had to watch your mom die this way. You may be able to find a support group in your area by calling the neurosurgeon's office and asking the office staff. Or, go to cancer.org; you may find a link there.

Question: Can Lexa pro be taken by a person with glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer? A friend who has glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer was recently prescribed lexapro for depression & anxiety. Since taking for only 4 days it seems to have caused lack of appetite, aggression, short temper, further depression. Is this worth it, we are told that it could take 4-8 weeks to work and I have been reading about the side effects...anyone who is familiar with this?

Answer: Obviously your doctor thought it was worth it to prescribe it to you. Any other similar drug will take just as long to work and most the side effects will become less or go away as time passes.

Question: What's worse, a Glioblastoma Multiforme or a Brain Stem Glioma? Is a Glioblastoma Multiforme in adults worse than a Brain Stem Glioma in children?

Answer: Answer your own question. It doesn't matter. A brain tumor that is a Glioblastoma or a Brain Stem Glioma is bad. Doesn't matter if you are a child or an adult. Want more facts? Check out www.abta.org The American Brain Tumor Association has all the information you need to answer this and many more questions.

Question: Can anyone tell me what to expect when someone dies from a Glioblastoma Multiforme? My mom was diagnosed about 4 months ago with an inoperable Glioblastoma in her frontal lobe. Is there anyone out there that has witnessed this? My sister and I are taking care of her but we are not sure how fast she will pass, and what to expect. She finished traditional radiation about 6 weeks ago. And is taking maintenence Temodar. She is walking around now, but not talking a lot. And she has a lot of swelling due to high doses of steriods.

Answer: I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. I can't answer your question, but just wanted you to know I'll keep all of you in my prayers.

Question: Is it possible to fully resect a Glioblastoma multiforme? Is it possible to fully resect it so it won't come back again?

Answer: Hi! Glioblastome multiforme is an aggressive human brain tumor - if the tumor has been excised 98% or more, the higher is the survival rate. After surgery, radiotherapy is done to prevent glioblastoma recurrence.

Question: Anyone ever heard of someone or are you surviving a Glioblastoma Multiforme? I am a true believer of miracles, and I was just curious as to whether or not there have been any survivors that anyone knows about or if you are one I would like to hear from you!! God Bless!!

Answer: No significant advancements in the treatment of glioblastoma have occurred in the past 25 years. Although current therapies remain palliative, they have been shown to prolong quality survival. Mean survival is inversely correlated with age, which may reflect exclusion of older patients from clinical trials. Without therapy, patients with GBMs uniformly die within 3 months. Patients treated with optimal therapy, including surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, have a median survival of approximately 12 months, with fewer than 25% of patients surviving up to 2 years and fewer than 10% of patients surviving up to 5 years. Whether the prognosis of patients with secondary glioblastoma is better than or similar to those patients with primary glioblastoma remains controversial,....That's what the doctors say, but i've heard of many people being cured from many things as worse as this thanks to the help and to the faith in their religion, in god. I believe that if you are a true believer u will overcome anything. Goodluck and many god bless.

Question: can a person who is in the last stage of brain tumor(Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade 4 Cancer) be healthy? can they be in a condition without any sickness or getting bedridden if the doctor has specified some last date she is very much healthy right now.....without any sickness or getting bedridden, though the doctor has specified only few days to live and the date has passed on too..its almost like a month before the deadline has been specified?IS that possible?Do they hv symptom of vomitings in their last stage?

Answer: It’s hard to know what you are asking, but it is impossible to be terminal and healthy at the same time. It is not uncommon for patients with this disease to be asymptomatic until the tumor becomes very large. Is this what you mean? The median survival time from the time of diagnosis without any treatment is about 3 months. Whether or not this person decides on treatment they will begin to get symptoms in the weeks to come. Spend as much time together now as the most common symptoms are progressive memory, personality, or neurological deficit. Best wishes. EDIT: It is always possible for someone to live longer than expected it isn’t unusual. Doctors can only make an educated guess, but they never know for sure. As the disease progresses you will see symptoms as explained above. Common symptoms as it progresses further include seizure, nausea and vomiting, headache, and hemiparesis. However, much depends on where the tumor is located. Be glad she feels okay now and enjoy the time you have.

Question: What is the best way to treat glioblastoma multiforme?

Answer: First off, I'm sorry if you or someone you love has a GBM. There are a lot of treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, conventional radiation and the new gamma knife. My dad passed away last year from a GBM. He was diagnosed the day after Thanksgiving, 2004. The doctor told him he had 2, possibly 3 months to live without surgery, radiation and chemo. With treatment he might last 18 months. He died on June 4th, after undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation. The doctor also told my dad that he was lucky in a way. He told dad that he now knew what the future held for him and to get his personal affairs in order. The doctor said that a lot of people die without having this time to mend fences and take care of business. My dad took advantage of the time remaining to him and got everything done that he wanted done before he died. Survival for any length of time with a GBM is not likely. There are some rare cases where people do live, but they are few and far between. There are a lot of good sites on the internet that explain the disease. You can email me if you want to talk about it. Once again, I'm sorry. May God bless you.

Question: Why Glioblastoma Multiforme is rare in spinal cord inspite of being commonost tumor in brain?

Answer: "(GBM) is the highest grade glial tumor and most common in the astocytic line." That is not the most common type of brain tumor. See the table on page 19 of the second link The most common type of brian tumor is the Meningioma with about 30% of all brain tumors followed by Glioblastoma with 20.3%. Gliomas are tumors that arise in Glial cells. When examining Brain Gliomas (as opposed to all brain tumors) Glioblastomas represent about 50% of all Gliomas. About 61% of all Gliomas are found in the frontal, temporal, parietal and ocipital lobes of the brain. The report from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the US should be able to answer most of your questions in link #2. With kind and gentle regards David Edge Founder Yahoo parental support group Pediatric Brain Tumors http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ped…

Question: Have any of you ever had to watch a loved one die of Glioblastoma Multiforme? I don't know what to expect towards the end... Don, you are the textbook example of a douchebag. Hopefully you'll have time to mature beyond your current junior high level before one of your friends or loved ones dies a slow, painful death. (Google GBM, if you can spell it.) Oh wait, you don't have the social skills to make friends and no one will ever love you. Go huff some more glue. (I apologize if I used too many big words for you...)

Answer: My father died in 1997 from this kind of tumor. Usually at the end the person is placed on a morphine pump. They are quiet, seem to sleep all the time. As death approaches, blood tends to begin to pool in the feet and extremities making them appear black. The person has a "rattle" in their breathing due to secretions building up in their lungs. Breaths are irregular and there is time in between them until finally a breath is expelled and the person does not breath in again. My dad seemed to go very quietly and peacefully. I pray the same for your loved one.