Targeted therapy for glioblastoma: Lessons learned and future directions

Glioblastoma is the most common adult malignant primary brain tumor, and carries a dismal prognosis. After initial standard radiation therapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide, few standard chemotherapy options are available. In the last two decades, a growing understanding of molecular pathogenesis of glioblastoma has turned our focus toward targeted therapy. This review will discuss our current understanding of gliomagenesis and highlight the clinical attempts to manipulate these vital pathways, describing past and current studies, and future directions.