Therapeutic strategies for inhibiting invasion in glioblastoma

Abstract

Glioblastomas are the most common and lethal form of malignant primary brain tumors. Although some progress has been made, the impact of recent advances in multimodality therapies on clinical outcome has been disappointing, with a median survival of less than 15 months. A major challenge in patients with glioblastomas is the propensity of the tumor to invade into adjacent brain tissue. Invasive tumor cells escape surgical removal and, because of their reduced proliferation rate and increased resistance to apoptosis, they are relatively resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Recently, there has been important progress in understanding the molecular determinants of glioma invasion and migration. This review will summarize some of the therapeutic strategies for inhibiting invasion in glioblastomas.