Treatment

High grade astrocytomas such as Anaplastic astrocytoma and Glioblastoma multiforme infiltrate surrounding brain tissue and, therefore, complete surgical removal is usually not possible. These cancers are usually fatal although prolonged survival does occur in a small minority of patients.

Radiation after surgery prolongs survival for a few months. The roles of sterotaxic radiosurgery and interstital brachytherapy are uncertain. Sterotaxic radiosurgery is the administration of a highly focused dose of radiation. Examples of this include gamma knife. Interstital brachytherapy is the placement of radioactive material directly into the tumor. This approach is associated with necrosis (i.e. death) of normal brain tissue.

Chemotherapy is only marginally effective in the treatment of Anaplastic astrocytoma and Glioblastoma multiforme. Typical chemotherapy agents include carmustine (BCNU) and lomustine (CCNU).

Treatment Results

Today, there are some encouraging published results with immunotherapy and biologic therapies (i.e. radio-immunotherapy, retinoid therapy, and vitamin analogs). The Cancer Monthly database currently has the results (survival, side effects, etc.) for 100 recent therapies for glioblastoma multiforme and 22 recent therapies for anaplastic astrocytoma including: immunotherapy, gene therapy, biological therapy, radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.