What is the role of the subventricular zone in radiotherapy of glioblastoma patients?

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of malignant brain tumor. GBM is 1.6 times more common in males than in females [1]. The median patient age is 64 years [2]. Despite trimodal therapy including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis remains poor, with median overall survival times of 15 –18 months in clinical trials [3] and a 5-year survival less than 5% [2]. Current therapies can prolong survival but do not change the unfavorable overall prognosis. GBM tissue contains a subset of cancer stem cells (CSC) with the ability to self-renew and differentiate and which seem to play a ro le in tumor promotion, propagation, maintenance, and therapeutic resistance [4].
Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Guidelines Source Type: research