Cancer is sadly one of the most common diseases in the world today. Progress has been made in treating and preventing cancer, but some forms put up more of a fight than others. Glioblastoma is one of the most deadly and difficult to treat.
Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is a deadly form of brain cancer that accounts for 49.1% of brain tumors. It is complex and resistant to most types of treatment. Thanks to the work of individuals such as the Glioblastoma Foundation professionals, awareness and money are being raised to fund research.
Better treatments are badly needed. The five-year average survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.8%, and that rate has been essentially the same for decades. Estimates say that about 10,000 Americans die because of this terrible disease each year.
The mean age at which people are diagnosed with glioblastoma is 64, and the disease is debilitating. It impacts a patient’s ability to work, drive, and perform daily chores and may affect the sense of smell.
Treating Glioblastoma
Despite the best efforts of medical science, breakthroughs in treating glioblastoma have been few and far between. Since the initial identification of the disease in the 1920s, the FDA has only approved five drugs and one device for the treatment of glioblastoma.
The treatments that do exist are expensive and place an enormous financial strain on families. The work of organizations such as the Glioblastoma Foundation is essential to helping families pay for treatments and helping researchers find more effective drugs and methods to use in the fight against this horrible affliction.
Cancer has claimed far too many lives, and the fight against it continues. One of the worst types of the disease is glioblastoma. Awareness of the symptoms and difficulties in treatment is important to urge everyone to do their part in this battle.
Featured https://www.myupchar.com/en, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons