Nowadays, glioblastoma is one of the most dangerous tumors of the central nervous system. Its frequency among all cancers is not so high, but this type of tumor is very aggressive. For this reason, healthcare professionals around the world are trying to find an effective way to treat it.
Among all world hospitals, German and Turkish clinics demonstrate the best success rates at the moment. Treatment for glioblastoma in these countries is carried out by graduate medical staff who use the most advanced equipment. Despite the high quality of medical services, the treatment costs here are relatively low.
What is glioblastoma?
Up to 35% of brain tumors are glioblastomas. As a rule, the disease is detected at advanced stages, when the conventional treatment is ineffective. This type of cancer is more common among men aged between 50 and 65 years but can affect women and children. However, it is quite a rare disease. Glioblastoma is detected in only 4-6 out of 100,000 people.
Glioblastoma is very aggressive and grows rapidly, so the treatment for glioblastoma should not start timely. This type of tumor is dangerous because it has a high probability of relapse. To prevent this, only the most innovative treatment methods should be used.
Symptoms of glioblastoma
Unfortunately, the initial stages of glioblastoma are almost asymptomatic. That is why patients can miss the development of the disease. To detect glioblastoma at its early stage, you need to undergo regular medical examinations.
The most frequently observed symptoms are:
- Persistent headaches.
- Double or blurred vision.
- Confusion or a decline in brain function.
- Memory loss.
- Vomiting.
- Personality changes or irritability.
- Epilepsy.
- Loss of appetite.
If you notice any symptoms from the list, it is recommended to visit a neurologist or a general practitioner.
Risk factors
The exact causes of glioblastoma, like in most cancers, are unknown. It is supposed that tumor development is connected with the mutation of certain genes and the influence of environmental factors.
Scientists identify the main factors that can increase the risk of tumor development:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Brain injuries.
- Immune system disorders.
- Exposure to radiation.
- Presence of other types of tumors.
If a tumor has been detected, your doctor will select an individual treatment for you.
Glioblastoma diagnostics
Modern examination methods make it possible to get comprehensive information about the patient’s health. To be able to detect oncology at its initial stages, foreign clinics use the most advanced equipment. This allows doctors to diagnose the disease with the highest accuracy, in the shortest possible time.
Up-to-date diagnostic procedures used for tumor detection are:
- MRI of the brain or spinal cord.
- Computed tomography.
- Positron emission tomography of the brain.
- Stereotactic biopsy.
- Immunohistochemistry.
- Blood tests for tumor markers.
Treatment
The best treatment for an individual patient considers the tumor location, symptoms, and assesses potential benefits and risks of the different treatment options. Treatment for glioblastoma is adjusted to each patient and may include surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
As the tumor has no clear boundaries and spreads into neighboring tissues, it is rarely possible to remove it completely during surgery. This leads to relapses in about 80% of cases.
Due to the hard-to-reach location, surgical treatment is not always available. Therefore, modern medicine uses an innovative type of radiation therapy for oncology treatment – Gamma Knife.
Benefits of this method:
- High accuracy.
- Treatment does not require surgery.
- Ability to remove tumors of hard-to-reach localization.
- Safety for the patient.
- Minimal side effects after treatment.
- Minimal damage to healthy cells.
Foreign hospitals
If you want to undergo effective and safe treatment abroad, you may contact the medical tourism operator Booking Health. With its help, treatment abroad will be not only easy but also effective due to a number of advantages:
- Individual selection of the best clinic.
- Providing a patient with reliable healthcare information.
- Treatment without being on the long waiting list.
- High quality of care for the patient’s health.
- Help with buying and transportation of medicines.
- Providing personal interpreter services.
- And much more.