What are the treatment options for GBM?
Learning more about GBM treatment options can be a good place to start and can help you have more informed conversations with your doctor.
Dennis is an Optune® user and Patient Ambassador, and Yvonne is his wife and caregiver.
Why is GBM hard to treat?
You may have heard that GBM can be hard to treat. That has a lot to do with where GBM appears in the brain. Because GBM can be hard to reach, surgery may not remove the entire tumor.
GBM also grows fast and can spread quickly. But a variety of approaches are available to treat GBM. The more you know about your options—and the sooner you know about them—the greater your opportunity to take control of GBM.
“In glioblastoma, tumor cells can be found far from where the tumor is seen on an MRI. So, I set expectations from the very first conversation that, even when the postoperative MRI looks perfect, there are tumor cells left behind that will come back unless treated.” Steven Toms, MD, MPH, FACS, FAANS
Treatments for newly diagnosed GBM
Your healthcare team will work with you to develop a treatment plan. They may recommend some or all of the following options:
Treating with surgery
- Surgery may be performed if the tumor is located in a spot that doctors can reach
- The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible
- During surgery, a tumor sample, known as a biopsy, can be taken. This can be tested for “tumor markers,” which can help your doctor determine exactly what type of tumor it is and what treatments may work better for you
Treating with radiation therapy
- Radiation therapy is often used after surgery
- During radiation therapy, a machine is used to aim high-energy beams at your brain to treat the tumor growth inside
- This outpatient treatment is usually done over several weeks at a hospital or clinic
Treating with chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy refers to medications that are used to treat cancer. It can be given in several ways:
- As a pill that you swallow
- In an IV, which is a tube that delivers medicine directly into your vein
- As a dissolving wafer that a surgeon implants in your brain during surgery
Treating with Optune
- Optune is a wearable, portable, FDA-approved device that is used with a chemotherapy* called temozolomide (TMZ)
- When Optune is turned on, it works by creating Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which are electric fields that may slow down or stop GBM cancer cell division
- TTFields are different from the high-energy beams used in radiation. They have not been shown to significantly affect healthy cells
*Temozolomide, also known as Temodar®.
How will Optune fit into my treatment plan for newly diagnosed GBM?
After a GBM diagnosis, your treatment plan might look like this:
Treatments for recurrent GBM
If you or your loved one has recurrent GBM, there are a few different ways your doctor can treat it. As with newly diagnosed GBM, your doctor may recommend surgery, radiation, or additional chemotherapy. Here are some other ways that your doctor can treat recurrent GBM:
Treating with anti-angiogenic therapy
- Anti-angiogenic therapy is a type of medicine that helps to stop the growth of blood vessels that feed tumor growth
Treating with Optune
- Optune is a wearable, portable, FDA-approved device
- When Optune is turned on, it works by creating Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which are electric fields that may slow down or stop GBM cancer cell division
- TTFields are different from the high-energy beams used in radiation. They have not been shown to significantly affect healthy cells
How will Optune fit into my treatment plan for recurrent GBM?
If you have recurrent GBM, Optune is used alone once treatment options like surgery and radiation are no longer effective. Treatments for recurrent GBM may include:
Important Safety Information
What is Optune® approved to treat?
