Let’s Talk About Glioma
So I was ask by a Tik Tok follower (shout out to Stefanie) to talk about Glioma, a hard to treat primary brain tumor that originates in the glia cells.
First let’s chat about the symptoms of Glioma which can include (depending on the tumor size):
Fatigue
Nausea
Double Vison
Confusion - (cognitive)
Headache - worsening over time
Vomiting
Seizures- unexpected
Why You Should Not Ignore These Symptoms
Yes, we all live busy lives that involve work, school, hobbies, commitments and sometimes a lively social schedule. It is really easy to brush off a subtle change as something insignificant. Oftentimes symptoms are warning signs that our body experiences, signaling that something is off and we need to go and get evaluated. Early Intervention Matters: Seeking evaluation when symptoms begin allows medical teams to rule out serious conditions or start treatments immediately, which expands surgical and therapeutic options.
So, if you were having these symptoms who should you seek help from:
Emergency Room - doctors can perform diagnostic tests and physical exams
PCP - Primary Care Physician - they evaluate your symptoms, perform a basic neurological exam, and order the necessary imaging (like an MRI or CT scan) to identify potential brain abnormalities
Neurologist - a medical doctor who specializes and diagnosing and treating disorder of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. At the Mayo Clinic they breakdown what a neurology clinical care team might look like and what diagnostic tools and treatment options could be available.
Gliomas can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). According to doctors at the Cleveland Clinic healthcare providers grade gliomas on how quickly they grow. Gliomas are also grouped by how aggressive they are. This is determined by looking at cell appearance under a microscope and specific molecular markers. According to the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Web Site there are four different “grades” of gliomas:
Low-Grade Gliomas (Grades 1 & 2): Slow-growing, less aggressive tumors.
High-Grade Gliomas (Grades 3 & 4): Rapidly growing, malignant, and aggressive tumors
Major Trial Results & Therapeutic Updates breakthroughs for the treatment of Gliomas that were announced at the 2026 ASCO conference:
Vorasidenib Extended Follow-Up (INDIGO Trial): Updated phase 3 data presented at ASCO 2026 confirmed that vorasidenib (Voranigo) achieved a median progression-free survival of 44.1 months in patients with grade 2 IDH1/2-mutant glioma. The overall response rate rose to 20.8%, demonstrating that tumor shrinkage and depth of response steadily improve over a prolonged period
Genomic Tailored Precision Medicine Trial: A UCSF-sponsored phase 1 study published in Clinical Cancer Research successfully evaluated 18 unique multi-agent targeted therapy combinations custom-tailored to the genetics of 30 adults with recurrent glioblastoma. The precision medicine strategy yielded promising efficacy compared to standard-of-care treatments
Lastly I wanted to share a link to an inspirational Glioma survivor Johnnie L who is an advocate and fundraiser.
Hugs.
Karen
