Palliative therapy in glioblastoma multiforme: A multimodal concept [Palliative therapie des glioblastoma multiforme: Ein multimodales konzept]

We report on a 72-year-old patient with a glioblastoma multiforme, who after initial operation underwent concomitant radiation (60 Gy) and chemotherapy (CCNU), which had to be stopped due to toxicity. After an interval without antineoplastic therapy lasting for several months, disease progressed. In this situation we decided to start second-line chemotherapy (Temozolomid). Because of cystic tumoural lesions an additional operative procedure was performed (Rickham reservoir). The latter had no major impact on quality of life for our patient. These procedures lead to an improvement of symptoms lasting for several months. Nevertheless our patient died 11 months after initial diagnosis due to a progression of the disease. This case report shows that multimodal therapeutic approaches should be taken into account in patients in a palliative situation. © Springer-Verlag 2006.