About Glioblastoma

WHAT IS GLIOBLASTOMA?

Glioblastoma, or GBM, is a type of primary brain cancer. This means that GBM tumours begin in the brain or spinal cord. They don’t start in another part of the body and travel to the brain. GBM is the most common type of primary brain cancer in adults.

WHO GETS GBM?

A diagnosis may have been the first time you heard of GBM. Because of this, it may seem that GBM is rare compared with lung cancer or breast cancer. But you are not alone.

WHERE IN THE BRAIN DOES GBM OCCUR?

Most people get GBM tumours in their cerebral hemispheres–the left and right halves of the brain that control reading, thinking, speech, muscle movement, and emotions.

WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES GBM CAUSE?

GBM rarely spreads to other areas of the body. But, GBM tumours grow quickly in the brain. Because of this, you may have noticed symptoms that appear suddenly, as if out of nowhere.

As a GBM tumour grows, it can put pressure on the brain, causing:

Headaches
Nausea and vomiting
Drowsiness

Depending on the location of the tumour, GBM can also interfere with how the brain controls other parts of the body, leading to:

Seizures
Weakness on one side of the body
Difficulty with memory or speech
Changes in vision

WHY IS GBM HARD TO TREAT?

You may have heard that GBM tumours can be hard to treat. Because GBM grows quickly and spreads into nearby normal brain tissue, it may be difficult to remove the entire tumour. But a variety of approaches are available to treat GBM.

Next: Disease Overview

WHAT IS OPTUNE APPROVED TO TREAT?

Optune is a portable medical device indicated to treat a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in adult patients 18 years of age or older.

Newly diagnosed GBM

If you have newly diagnosed GBM, Optune is used together with a standard of care maintenance chemotherapy if:

Your cancer is confirmed by your healthcare professional AND
You have had surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible and completed radiation therapy

Recurrent GBM

If your tumour has come back, Optune can be used alone as an alternative to standard medical therapy if:

You have tried surgery and radiation and they did not work or are no longer working AND
You have tried chemotherapy and your GBM has been confirmed by your healthcare professional

Who should not use Optune?

Optune for GBM is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor if you have:

An implanted medical device {programmable shunt), skull defect (such as missing bone with no replacement), or bullet fragment. Optune has not been tested in people with implanted electronic devices, which may cause the devices not to work properly, and Optune has not been tested in people with skull defects or bullet fragments, which may cause Optune not to work properly
A known sensitivity to conductive hydrogels (the gel on the arrays placed on the scalp like the ones used on ECGs). When Optune comes into contact with the skin, it may cause more redness and itching or may rarely cause a life-threatening allergic reaction

Do not use Optune for GBM if you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant. It is not known if Optune is safe or effective during pregnancy.

What should I know before using Optune?

Optune should only be used after receiving training from qualified personnel, such as your doctor, a nurse, or other medical staff who have completed a training course given by Novocure, the maker of Optune.

Do not use any parts that did not come with the Optune Treatment Kit sent to you by Novocure or given to you by your doctor
Do not get the device or transducer arrays wet
Please be aware that Optune has a cord that may cause tripping when connected to an electric socket
If you have an underlying serious skin condition on the scalp, discuss with your doctor whether this may prevent or temporarily interfere with Optune treatment

What are the possible side effects of Optune?

Common side effects of Optune when used together with chemotherapy for GBM were low blood platelet count, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, seizure, and depression.

The most common side effects when using Optune alone for GBM were scalp irritation (redness and itchiness) and headache. Other side effects were malaise, muscle twitching, fall and skin ulcers..

Talk to your doctor if you have any of these side effects or questions.

Please click here to see the Optune User Manual for complete information regarding the device’s indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions.

On this site, patient and healthcare professional videos as well as all images labelled as Optune users, caregivers, or healthcare professionals depict actual patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. All other depictions of patients and caregivers are actor portrayals. Patient images reflect the health status of the patients at the time each photo was taken.