Glioblastoma: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biology and Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 189

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Nutrition and Health Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung City 41354, Taiwan
Interests: pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine; neuroscience and brain cell culture; nutritional therapy in traditional Chinese medicine; cancer research and therapeutics; health promotion and aging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For this Special Issue, we welcome submissions focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics in glioblastoma research:

  1. Immunotherapy: Researchers are exploring ways to harness the immune system to combat GBM, for example, by using ultrasound technology to penetrate the blood–brain barrier and delivering chemotherapy drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors into the brain to enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.
  2. Advanced radiotherapy techniques: Techniques such as proton beam therapy offer precise radiation treatment that effectively destroys cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. This approach has shown potential in extending the survival of elderly GBM patients.
  3. Tumor microenvironment research: Researchers are delving into the interactions within the tumor microenvironment, particularly between tumor stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. These studies reveal how tumor cells gain chemotherapy resistance through metabolic reprogramming and explore new methods to block these processes.
  4. Novel drugs and combination therapies: Researchers are developing new drugs and combination therapies to overcome resistance to existing treatments, for instance, by using small-molecule drugs to bypass conventional chemotherapy resistance mechanisms and combining them with existing therapies to enhance treatment efficacy.

Dr. Ming-Ming Lee
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs)
  • temozolomide (TMZ)
  • tumor microenvironment
  • resistance
  • novel therapeutic approaches

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 545 KiB  
Article
Sex-Related Differences in Glioblastoma: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
by Chiara Prosperetti, Meltem Yenigün, Alberto Pagnamenta, Payam Tabaee Damavandi, Giulio Disanto, Francesco Marchi, Vittoria Espeli, Barbara Muoio, Paolo Spina, Gianfranco Pesce and Pamela Agazzi
Biomedicines 2025, 13(7), 1715; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13071715 - 14 Jul 2025
Abstract
Background: Sex differences play a significant role in the epidemiology, biology, and outcomes of many cancers, including glioblastoma (GB), the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. GB is more frequent in males, while females tend to have longer survival, though the [...] Read more.
Background: Sex differences play a significant role in the epidemiology, biology, and outcomes of many cancers, including glioblastoma (GB), the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. GB is more frequent in males, while females tend to have longer survival, though the underlying reasons for these differences remain poorly understood. Potential contributors include hormonal influences, sex-specific risk factors, and treatment disparities. Understanding these differences is critical for optimizing personalized treatment strategies. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with gliomas from a neuro-oncological database, with a primary focus on GB cases. Variables collected included sex, age, tumor type, molecular biomarker, and treatment modalities. The primary objective was to assess sex-based differences in tumor characteristics and outcomes, while the secondary objective was to identify predictors of time to progression and mortality. Results: The cohort comprised 125 GB, 48 astrocytomas, and 16 oligodendrogliomas, with no significant sex-based differences in age or tumor type distribution. Among GB patients, multifocality was more prevalent in females (14% vs. 8%; p = 0.01); also, EGFR amplification was more frequent in females (25.5% vs. 52.5%; p = 0.007). Males received chemotherapy (80% vs. 63%; p = 0.04) and radiotherapy (84% vs. 67%; p = 0.03) more frequently than females. Survival was positively associated with MGMT methylation (p = 0.002) and negatively associated with TERT mutation (p = 0.01). Multivariable analysis identified TERT mutation as a predictor of increased mortality (HR = 4.1; 95% CI: 1.2–14; p = 0.025), while multifocality predicted both mortality (HR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.3–3.9; p = 0.003) and reduced time to progression (HR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.02–10.6; p = 0.04). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of sex and molecular profiling in GB management, revealing distinct patterns in tumor characteristics and treatment administration between males and females. Our findings advocate for the integration of sex-specific considerations and molecular profiling into clinical decision-making to improve outcomes for GB patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glioblastoma: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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