glioblastoma
Let an agent explain glioblastoma in general terms from neuro-oncology guidelines, describe symptoms, diagnosis, classification and treatment, relay outcomes and research with attribution, and route personal questions to clinicians.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain glioblastoma in general terms from neuro-oncology guidelines, describe symptoms, diagnosis, classification and treatment, relay outcomes and research with attribution, and route personal questions to clinicians.
The most common and most aggressive primary malignant brain tumour in adults, a grade 4 astrocytoma arising from glial cells, most often in the cerebral hemispheres and rarely in the cerebellum, defined since 2021 by IDH-wildtype status and molecular features, with histological variants such as giant cell glioblastoma and expression subtypes described as classical, proneural, mesenchymal and neural; glioblastoma is treated with surgery, radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy, with median survival of about 15 months and active research into new therapies.
What it is for: Not applicable; a cancer.
It can be explain the tumour and classification; relay symptoms and diagnosis; relay treatment and outcomes; route personal questions.
Distinguishing features
Highest grade glioma
IDH-wildtype definition
Infiltrative growth
Poor prognosis
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a brain tumour seen on MRI.
Physical character
incidence: about 3-4 per 100000 per year
median survival: about 15 months - with standard treatment
median age at diagnosis: about 64 years
How it is recognised
Grade 4 astrocytoma of the brain
IDH-wildtype glioblastoma; giant cell variant; classical, proneural, mesenchymal and neural subtypes; cerebellar glioblastoma
Lower-grade astrocytomas and IDH-mutant tumours are classified separately; brain metastases are not primary tumours
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is classified by - 2021 edition
is treated with - and radiotherapy
is defined by - status
In practice
Families and kinds
IDH-wildtype glioblastoma
histological variants such as giant cell, gliosarcoma and epithelioid glioblastoma
expression subtypes: classical, proneural, mesenchymal and neural
cerebellar and other uncommon sites
paediatric high-grade gliomas as related but distinct tumours
Identifiers
ICD-11 2A00.0 gliomas of brain
ICD-O 9440/3 glioblastoma
MeSH D005909 glioblastoma
Standards and regulation
WHO 2021 classification of CNS tumours
EANO and NCCN neuro-oncology guidelines
Drug and device approvals such as tumour treating fields
Failure modes and hazards
Agents giving personal medical advice
Overstating unproven therapies
Confusing with lower-grade or metastatic tumours
Stale classification
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Help Getting help first.
Safety.
Signs
Warning signs.
Signs
Signs.
- What signs such as new seizures, persistent headache, weakness or personality change need prompt assessment? action
- Is the user describing such signs, which need urgent medical care? boundary
Care
Specialist care.
Care
Care.
- How is glioblastoma diagnosed and classified by neuro-oncology teams, in general terms? provenance
- Is the user asking about their own or a relative diagnosis, which needs the oncology team? boundary
Understand The tumour.
Clinical.
Definition
Definition and classification.
Definition
Definition.
- What is glioblastoma, and how do IDH status, histological variants and expression subtypes define it? definition
- Is the question about glioblastoma or another brain tumour? boundary
Biology
Biology.
Biology
Biology.
- Why is glioblastoma so aggressive, and what molecular features such as MGMT methylation matter? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific marker? action
Treat Treatment and outlook.
Clinical.
Treatment
Treatment.
Treatment
Treatment.
- What treatments do guidelines recommend, from surgery and radiotherapy to temozolomide and tumour treating fields, in general terms? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Outlook
Outcomes and support.
Outlook
Outlook.
- What outcomes are seen, and what supportive and palliative care exists? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context Research and support.
Context.
Research
Research.
Research
Research.
- What research addresses immunotherapy, targeted therapy and trials, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits neuro-oncology research? action
Support
Support.
Support
Support.
- What organisations support patients and families? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific organisation? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should astrocytoma and IDH-mutant glioma be separate primary entries?
- How should neuro-oncology guidelines be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming subtypes and sites; should they be split off?