July 31, 2017 – Glioblastoma

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Anchor lead: Senator John McCain’s brain tumor will likely require more than surgery to treat, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Brain tumors have come into focus with Senator John McCain’s diagnosis. Matthias Holdhoff, a brain cancer expert at Johns Hopkins, describes what’s known about glioblastoma, the type of tumor the senator has.

Holdhoff: Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain cancer in adults. Primary brain cancers are tumors that grow from within the brain. Glioblastomas belong to the family of gliomas, they are cells that are related to glial cells, that connect cells within the brain that have supporting function. Whenever these cells become cancerous they can have different appearance under the microscope and get different diagnoses.  :22

Holdhoff says glioblastoma usually isn’t treatable with surgery alone.

Holdhoff: These are cancers that grow with extensions into the surrounding tissue, surgery will take out part of the tumor, the challenge is that there’s always some additional part of the tumor left which means additional treatment to go after those cells that are left over.  :11

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.