Get your free Information Pack
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and you don’t know which way to turn, start with our free Information Pack.
A glioblastoma is the most common high grade primary brain tumour in adults. It rarely occurs in children.
It’s normal to feel shocked if you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Our Support and Information team can help you answer any questions you may have or provide a listening ear if you need one.
Glioblastomas are grade 4 brain tumours and are sometimes called glioblastoma multiforme, GBM, GBM4 or a grade 4 astrocytoma. They’re:
Glioblastomas are a type of glioma, which is a brain tumour that grows from a glial cell.
If you’ve just been diagnosed with a glioblastoma and are about to have treatment, you may want to see what other people’s first treatment was. Use the First Treatment insight in BRIAN, which you can personalise to make it relevant to you.
BRIAN is our trusted online app where you can track your experience, compare it with others who’ve been there and get the knowledge you need to make informed decisions.
Different parts of the brain control different functions, so the symptoms you experience will depend partly on where the tumour is within your brain. It will also depend on the treatment you receive.
Generally, if you’re well enough, neurosurgery will be performed to remove as much of the tumour as possible.
Once your wound has healed, you may also receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both.
Before surgery, you may want to ask your healthcare team about:
As with most brain tumours, it’s not known why glioblastomas start growing, although we do understand some of the risk factors involved.
It’s important to know that there is nothing you could have done, or avoided doing, that would have caused you or somebody you know to develop a brain tumour.
Nobody can be absolutely certain about what will happen to you following a diagnosis of a brain tumour.
Your healthcare team may give you a prognosis, which is an estimate based on your tumour type and current situation. However, they won't be able to predict other factors, such as how well you might respond to treatment.
Our glioblastoma factsheet gives you an overview of glioblastomas in adults and answers some of the questions you may have about this type of tumour.
Our clear print fact sheet gives you an overview of glioblastomas in adults and answers some of the questions you may have about this type of tumour.
If you need someone to talk to or advice on where to get help, our Support and Information team is available by phone, email or live-chat.
By taking part in our Improving Brain Tumour Care surveys and sharing your experiences, you can help us improve treatment and care for everyone affected by a brain tumour.