ABSTRACT
Primary brain tumours include tumours of the brain parenchyma, meninges, cranial nerves, and other intracranial structures (such as the pituitary and pineal glands). The most common and malignant primary brain tumours are Grade IV astrocytomas, called glioblastomas, which are characterised by the aggressive invasion and diffuse infi ltration of tumour cells into the surrounding brain tissue. According to CBTRUS (Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States), glioblastomas accounted for about
20% of the estimated 44,500 new primary brain tumours diagnosed in the United States in 2005. The conventional therapy of glioblastomas consists of surgery followed by fractionated radiotherapy with concomitant and adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide (Stupp et al. 2009). Despite this treatment, glioblastomas generally recur at the site of initial treatment. Median survival is around 16 months and less than 10% of patients survive for more than fi ve years.
