Glioblastoma originates in the brain and typically does not spread to other parts of the body. It is a particularly difficult cancer to treat because tumors often overlap with healthy brain tissue making full surgical removal usually impossible. Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation may slow the disease’s progression, but there is currently no cure.
Glioblastoma Multiforme is the most common and aggressive form of glioblastomas. The American Brain Tumor Association says median survival for glioblastoma multiforme is 14.6 months.
Another significant observance about Glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and the most aggressive of gliomas, is that they have a bimodal distribution. This means that while it can occur at any age, the occurrence of glioblastoma multiforme has two peaks in patient age. One peak is at 50 years and another at 70 years of age.
Surgery – While the goal is to remove as much of the tumor as possible, complete removal isn’t possible because it grows into the normal brain tissue. Due to this fact, most people receive additional treatments after surgery to target the remaining cells.
Radiation therapy – Using high-energy beams, such as X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells. Radiation may be combined with chemotherapy. For people who can’t undergo surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be used as a primary treatment.
Circular wafers are placed in your brain during surgery. As they slowly dissolve, they release the medicine and kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy pill called temozolomide (Temodar).
IV chemotherapy administered through a vein in your arm.
Tumor treating fields (TTF) therapy. TTF involves applying adhesive pads to your scalp, which are connected to a portable device that generates an electrical field to disrupt the tumor cells’ ability to multiply.
Targeted drug therapy. Targeted drugs attack specific abnormalities in cancer cells causing them to die.
Supportive care – Specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness.
Clinical trials are used to determine if a new treatment or device offers any benefit or advantage over what is currently available. They are particularly important because they may offer treatment options that would otherwise not be available.
Researchers are investigating how glioblastoma tumors grow and how they respond to different combinations of treatment protocols, new drugs, using the patients own the immune system to fight the disease, the use of vaccines and even viruses.
There are currently over 1300 clinical studies listed on ClinicalTrials.gov involving Glioblastoma. These specific trials cover a wide range of treatment options and protocols from determining the safety and tolerability of new drugs, to the efficiency of a new vaccination, to the effect of exercise in patients with glioblastoma. One particular area of study includes the use of a cannabinoid called cannabidiol (CBD). Early studies are indicating that this particular substance in marijuana may improve glioblastoma treatment.
According to The American Cancer Society, a number of small studies of smoked marijuana found that it could be helpful in treating nausea and vomiting from cancer chemotherapy. A few studies have found that inhaled (smoked or vaporized) marijuana can be helpful treatment of neuropathic pain (pain caused by damaged nerves). There have been some early clinical trials of cannabinoids in treating cancer in humans and more studies are planned. More research on CBD is needed.
Marijuana has been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Having identified many biologically active components, called cannabinoids, in marijuana, scientists continue to study them for their use in treating specific medical conditions, including glioblastoma. Currently, there are 756 studies involving marijuana and 525 studies involving CBD specifically. Of those, just four are targeted at CBD and glioblastoma.
It is with great hope for a cure of glioblastoma that CBD researchers continue to strive to make progress in the fight against this disease. These groundbreaking, research-based initiatives take advantage of scientific advancements of proprietary formulas and drive research forward, which can quicken the pace of translating discoveries of clinical stage research on to specific treatment protocols.
While doctor’s with deep knowledge of cancer care and top organizations, such as The American Cancer society support the need for more specific research on cannabinoids for cancer patients, medical decisions about treatment protocols and clinical trials should be made between the patient and his or her doctor.