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Resource Guide
We've created a resource guide (now version 2) to help you learn about options for care and support during the brain cancer journey. Click below to view, download then print if desired. We hope this is helpful for patients, care-givers and loved ones.
MERCYONE Integrative Oncology and Patient Support Services
Glioblastoma Facts
According to the National Brain Tumor Society, Glioblastoma (GBM) is a disease that all Americans should care about. It can strike men, women, and children of any age, background, and walk of life. It does not discriminate on gender, socioeconomic status, religion, age, or political party.
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Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most complex, deadly, and treatment-resistant cancers.
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More than 13,000 Americans are expected to receive a GBM diagnosis in 2024.
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GBM accounts for 50.1 percent of all primary malignant brain tumors.
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It is estimated that more than 10,000 individuals in the United States will succumb to glioblastoma every year and is the 10th leading cause of Cancer death.
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The five-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.9 percent, and the average length of survival for glioblastoma patients is an estimated 8 months.​
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Despite first being identified in the 1920’s, there have only been five drugs and one device ever approved by the FDA for the treatment of glioblastoma. None of these treatments have succeeded in significantly extending patient lives.
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Mean age at diagnosis is 61.
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In addition to being life-threatening, GBM – and its harsh treatments – inflict devastation upon the brain, which controls cognition, mood, behavior, and every function of every organ and body part.
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Many patients will lose their ability to work, drive, and a host of other functions that contribute to one’s sense of self and independence.
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Glioblastoma is also one of the more expensive cancers to treat, often leaving patients and families with major financial hardship on top of the burdens of the disease.
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Prominent Americans who’ve been lost to this type of cancer include: Beau Biden (former Attorney General for the state of Delaware and son of President Biden); Gary Carter (Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player); U.S. Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy (Democratic politician); U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican politician and former presidential nominee); and Edward “Tug” McGraw (Major League Baseball player and father of country music star and actor, Tim McGraw).