Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 5/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Can you please provide some insights for treatment patterns and commonly used drugs for Anaplastic astrocytoma
(Grade III) and Glioblastoma multiforme(Grade IV) brain tumors?


ANSWER: The world over the treatment combination is 1. surgery with 2. radiation therapy & 3. chemotherapy with Temodar., all in combination. However no cure is at present possible. This therapy can only give some symptom relief & some survival time prolongation. That is all. No other treatment options exist at present.


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QUESTION: Which guidelines do Oncologists/neurosurgeons in Sweden refer for treatment of cancers (Brain tumor) in general?

Answer
The guidelines are very standardized since the prognosis of all malignant brain tumors usually is so bad regardless of therapy. It is usually a combined effort by the neurosurgeons and the oncologists (who in Sweden are both medical oncologists and radiation therapists). Usually the patients come from neurologists or G.P.-s and are referred directly to this combined treatment. Benign tumors go directly to the neurosurgeons for surgical treatment except for some special small tumors with surgical problems that instead are treated with the GammaKnife (concentrated radiation).