Brain Cancer

Brain cancer research is progressing, but for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and their caregivers, compassionate, intensive support is paramount.

An upcoming study hopes to expand the use of tumor treating fields (TTFields) from only glioblastoma (grade IV tumors) into also treating grade III anaplastic astrocytomas as well.

Optune, a noninvasive device that delivers tumor-treating fields to the brain, had been found to improve efficacy compared to chemotherapy and is well-tolerated by patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Caregivers of patients with GBM have an increased time burden and can affect the quality of life of the caregiver and, potentially, the patient with cancer.

A recent study found that yoga could improve overall quality of life for patients with high grade glioma, as well as their caregivers.

New Awareness and Funding Campaign Aims to Transform Global Research Efforts and Accelerate Clinical Trials for Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients

By funding research and connecting patients with researchers, doctors and clinical trials, End Brain Cancer is hoping that more people will survive the disease.

Brain cancer has replaced leukemia as the leading type of cancer causing death among children.

Caregivers of young adult survivors (YAS) of childhood brain tumors, usually their mothers, live dramatically altered lives as they incorporate illness management into family life and function in caregiving roles well into the survivors’ adulthood.

Patients with cancer who have Medicaid coverage or who are uninsured are more likely to be diagnosed later and receive improper treatment for cancer, according to two recent studies, and these factors can have an impact on their survival.

A lighter and more convenient version of the tumor-treating field device Optune for patients with glioblastoma multiforme received FDA approval July 13 for the treatment of this aggressive type of brain tumor.

Survivors of childhood leukemia who received chemotherapy involving high concentrations of methotrexate were found to be more likely to struggle with brain functionality in the long term.

David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses caring for patients with glioblastoma.

While immunotherapies continue to gain traction across multiple tumor types, including malignancies of the central nervous system, these agents are also associated with unique adverse events.

Optune (formally the NovoTTF-100A System) in combination with adjuvant temozolomide, has been approved by the FDA to treat patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) following surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Dellann Elliott Mydland, from the Chris Elliott Fund, discusses the importance of testing brain tumor tissue before surgery.

Vanna Dest, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN, Oncology Nurse Practitioner/Manager, Oncology APP, Yale-New Haven Hospital, discusses the side effects of treatment with brain radiation.

Antonia Reyes was 39 years old and 18 weeks pregnant when an MRI revealed an apparent glioma in the right temporal-parietal lobe region.

At NCONN 2011, Sean Grimm, MD, discussed the management of Glioblastoma multiforme, the most common malignant primary brain tumor.

The John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, one of the largest cancer centers in the United States

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials revealed treatment-related fatalities were 1.5 times higher for combination treatment with Avastin (bevacizumab) and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone

Hospitals, pharmacists, and physicians across the United States are reporting shortages of critical anticancer drugs, including carboplatin, cisplatin, dacarbazine, fludarabine, and cytarabine.