Management of glioblastoma: an Australian perspective

Although glioblastoma is a rare cancer, i t causes disproportionately high morbidity and mortality. In addition to the upfront challenges of neurosurgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, there are complex care issues including physical disability, cognitive impairment, personality change, depression, seizures and caregiver distress (1). Comprehensive multidisciplinary care for glioblastoma is essential, including neurosurgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, neurology, palliative care, neurological rehabilitation, social work, neuropsychology and psychiatry. However, the optimal delivery of care is contingent on available specialty services, local infrastructure and resources. This is pertinent to a sparsely populated country such as Australia, where access to healthcare may vary between metropolitan, regional and rural centers. We describe the contemporary management of glioblastoma in Australia, focusing on key epidemiology, clinical management, insurance landscape, clinical trials and future directions applicable to the Australian setting.