Facts

• Glioblastoma is a grade 4 tumor and the most advanced form of a type of brain cancer called astrocytoma, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It most typically occurs in individuals over age 50.
  
  

Survival Rate

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reports that even with treatment, roughly 75 percent of individuals with glioblastoma die within two years of initial diagnosis. Factors influencing this outcome include success in removing the tumor and patient age.
  
  

Glioblastoma Effects

• Symptoms of an untreated glioblastoma are the same as those with other types of brain tumors, reports Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. These include increased cranial pressure, muscle weakness, loss of balance and coordination, and difficulties with walking, speech, vision and comprehension, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
  
  

Complications

• The U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that one complication of brain tumors such as glioblastoma is fatal brain herniation, in which brain tissue, fluid and blood vessels are moved from their normal position.
  
  

Considerations

• The International RadioSurgery Association notes that glioblastomas commonly contain a collection of different cell types. Even for those who receive treatment, this characteristic makes glioblastomas difficult to fight, since methods that kill one form of cell typically leave other forms intact.