REVIEW ARTICLE published: 28 October 2011 doi: 10.3389/fonc.2011.00036 Combined modality approaches in the management of adult glioblastoma Haider A. Shirazi 1, Sean Grimm2, Jeffrey Raizer 2 and Minesh P.Mehta1* 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA 2 Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA Edited by: Over the past two decades, management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma has undergone Jann Sarkaria, Mayo Clinic, USA significant evolution. While surgery has long been a mainstay of management for this dis- Reviewed by: ease, and while radiotherapy has a proven survival role, initial efforts at radiotherapy dose Elizabeth Yan, Mayo Clinic, USA Daniel Ma, Mayo Clinic, USA escalation, use of radiosurgery, brachytherapy, and altered fractionation did not improve *Correspondence: patient survival. Recently, multiple modality therapy integrating maximal safe resection, Minesh P.Mehta, Department of postoperative radiation, and new systemic therapies have resulted in improved patient out- Radiation Oncology, Feinberg School comes compared with older regimens utilizing surgery and postoperative radiation alone. of Medicine, Northwestern Numerous trials are currently underway investigating the combination of surgery, radiation, University, 251 E. Huron Street, LC-178, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. and systemic therapy with targeted agents to find ways to further improve outcomes for e-mail:
[email protected] adults with glioblastoma. Keywords: glioblastoma, radiotherapy, chemotherapy INTRODUCTION earlier, there are insufficient level 1 data to conclude that complete Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a highly lethal and aggressive tumor resection imparts a survival benefit; however, in a large single insti- with dismal prognosis.