Biology and Treatment of Malignant Glioma

Gliomas are rare compared to cancers of the breast, lung, or colon, but few malignancies are more devastating. While no therapeutic breakthroughs have occurred, the treatment of glioma is improving. Surgical care is improving. Magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative mapping studies are leading to safer, more complete resections. With scan-guided stereotactic biopsy, unresectable tumors can be sampled safely and precise diagnoses established in most instances. Improvements in radiotherapy, such as three-dimensional (3D) conformal treatment, that reduces the volume of normal tissue irradiated, promise to lessen the risk of delayed neurotoxicity without sacrificing the tumor-controlling benefits of higher doses of radiation.