
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Glioma medical therapy
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Treatment for glioma depends on the location and grade. The predominant therapy for glioma is surgical resection. Adjunctive chemotherapy and radiation may be required.[1]
Medical Therapy
Medical Therapy
Treatment for glioma depends on the location and grade. The predominant therapy for glioma is surgical resection. Adjunctive chemotherapy and radiation may be required.[1]
Radiotherapy
- Post-operative radiation therapy is often used as an adjunct to surgery in the treatment of high-grade gliomas as it has shown to double the median survival for high-grade gliomas to 37 weeks (versus 17 weeks with surgery alone).
- Radiotherapy may not cure the cancer, but can control the tumor and delay recurrence.
- Targeted three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is preferred to whole brain radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy is indicated as adjuvant therapy for glioma.
- Temozolomide (Temodar) is the preferred drug for the treatment of high-grade and recurring low-grade glioma, as it easily penetrates the blood brain barrier.
- Other chemotherapeutic drugs that may be used for the treatment of glioma include:
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Treatment of glioma. SurgWiki.com. http://www.surgwiki.com/wiki/Intracranial_tumours,_infection_and_aneurysms#Astrocytoma
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2], Sujit Routray, M.D. [3]
