Brain tumor
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive (grade IV) and most common form of a malignant brain tumor. Even when aggressive multimodality therapy consisting of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgical excision is used, median survival is only 12–17 months. Standard therapy for glioblastoma multiforme consists of maximal surgical resection of the tumor, followed by radiotherapy between two and four weeks after the surgical procedure to remove the cancer, then by chemotherapy, such as temozolomide. Most patients with glioblastoma take a corticosteroid, typically dexamethasone, during their illness to relieve symptoms. Experimental treatments include targeted therapy, gamma knife radiosurgery, boron neutron capture therapy and gene therapy.
Canine brain tumors
Astrocytomas are the most common neuroectodermal tumor of dogs. Glioblastomas are considered a subset of astrocytomas—a particularly damaging, invasive, and undifferentiated type. Canine glioblastomas are similar to glioblastomas in humans. Studies are underway to use and develop the dog as a model of this devastating disease of humans in the hope that characterizing and successfully treating these tumors in dogs may lead to improved therapies for humans afflicted with this disease. brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds such as the boxer, pug, Boston terrier and bulldog have a marked (25 times the normal occurrence) predilection for developing primary brain tumors to include glioblastomas.