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Impactofcurrenttreatmentsongliomapatients’life
from E3 Advocacy Issue 5
by healcanada
by Brigitte Leonard,Ph.D
Brain tumours (glioma), like all cancers, can destroy patients' life and their entourage. Unlike most cancers, certain forms of glioma are typically diagnosed when individuals are in their 30s or 40s. They are diagnosed when they are raising their family and fighting for a better position at work. They are diagnosed during a period of their life when they need all their physical and cognitive capabilities to support their loved ones.
These specific rare forms of glioma are called astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma. They are often referred to as low-grade gliomas and are characterized by a mutation called IDH1 or IDH2. Lowgrade glioma does not mean indolence. Astrocytoma is typically found at 36 years of age, and the survival expectancy is between 5 and 10 years. As for oligodendroglioma, it is generally identified at45yearsofage,andthesurvivalexpectancyisbetween10and14years.
The current treatments recommended for these patients are surgery followed by active observation and/or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy (Figure 1). Surgery is not a curable intervention; IDH1/2 gliomas will progress to more aggressiveformsafterthesurgery(Figure2).
Doctors continue to use active observation after surgery despite the high rate of progression because of the poor tolerability of radio and chemotherapy. They both have a high rate of debilitating side effects. The combination of radio and chemotherapy can prolong survival by ten years. However, they don’t improve patients' quality of life and do not allow them to get their life back. Despite a better understanding of molecular abnormalities underlying glioma, no new therapies have been developed in this space forover20years.
Heal Canada surveyed glioma patients to accurately portray how their treatments impacted their physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities. Thanks to the 50 participants who graciously agreed to share their experiences, we hope their experiences will help this community accessbettercare.
