Noriyuki Okonogi, Takahiro Oike, Katsuyuki Shirai, Tomoaki Tamaki, Shin-ei Noda, Yoshiyuki Suzuki and Takashi Nakano
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common adult primary brain tumor that is associated with very poor
survival. The current standard therapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme includes surgical resection and
a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide. This treatment strategy leads to better overall
survival; however, majority of tumor recurrences occur within the irradiated field. To overcome this problem, dose
intensification is being tested in the management of glioblastoma multiforme.
In recent years, technological development of radiotherapies, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy,
stereotactic radio surgery, stereotactic radiation therapy, boron neutron capture therapy, and particle beam therapy,
has improved dose distribution. Several prospective studies using these radiotherapies have shown that dose
escalation is feasible and appears to be effective. Although the number of patients with glioblastoma multiforme in
each study was not large, the survival times in these studies tended to be better than in those with standard dosing
schedules. Dose escalation radiotherapy could be a hopeful strategy for patients with glioblastoma multiforme. In
this review, we review advances in current radiotherapies for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.