Preface

Glioblastoma is the most common and the most malignant variant in the wide spectrum of intrinsic glial brain tumors. Although it can affect children, its incidence increases with age. To date, no uniform etiology has been identified. The pathogenesis in genetic and epigenetic terms is gradually being unraveled. Unlike most aggressive malignancies, glioblastoma only seems to thrive in the exclusive microenvironment of the brain and as such, extracranial metastasis is rare. Nevertheless, individual glioblastoma cells display an unmatched capacity to invade surrounding brain areas and thus exert a locally destructive influence on brain tissue and function. This finding, together with the intrinsic and extrinsic heterogeneity of the tumor, and its environment, makes glioblastoma one of the most difficult cancers to treat. In spite of significant improvements in surgical techniques, radiation technology, and systemic therapies, glioblastoma continues to be an incurable disease causing an enormous individual and societal burden. Although a slow, incremental improvement in survival rates has been noticed in those patients who are fit enough to get an intense, multimodal treatment schedule, the medical need still is widely unmet. Therefore, physicians and basic scientists will have to join forces to create some long-awaited breakthroughs for patients with this devastating disease. Read more.....