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COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCE INFORMATION
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GLIOBLASTOMA (ADULT BRAIN CANCER)
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ALTERNATE NAMES
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Glioblastoma Adult Brain Tumor; GBM; Grade IV astrocytoma; Glioblastoma Multiforme;
Diffuse Midline Glioma; H3K27M-Mutant; Giant Cell Glioblastoma; Gliosarcoma; Gliosarcoma,
IDH Wildtype; Glioblastoma, IDH Wildtype; Glioblastoma, IDH Mutant; Glioblastoma,
NOS
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DESCRIPTION
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Glioblastoma is a fast-growing type of central nervous system cancer that forms from glial (supportive)
tissue of the brain and spinal cord and has cells that look very different from normal
cells. It spreads aggressively throughout the brain tissue and is the most malignant
of the primary brain cancers. In consequence, these cancers are difficult to treat
and often recur after initial therapy. Glioblastoma most often occurs in adults between
the ages of 45 and 70 years and affects the brain more often than the spinal cord.
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DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, PHYSICAL FINDINGS, AND ICD-9–CM CODING
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Diagnostic testing: Diagnosis is based on patient history, neurological examination and diagnostic procedures.
The only definitive test that can provide a diagnosis of glioblastoma is a biopsy
of the cancer. Testing to confirm diagnosis of glioblastoma includes neuroimaging
(CT and MRI) to provide information about the location, size and shape of the cancer.
Physical findings: Individuals with this impairment may present with:
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Slowly progressive neurologic deficits;
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Motor weakness; Increased intracranial pressure including headaches, nausea, and vomiting,
and cognitive impairments;
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Changes in mood and personality; and
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ICD-9: 191.9
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PROGRESSION
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Glioblastoma is highly aggressive, infiltrating, and responds poorly to all currently
available treatments. The prognosis is grim, as most patients die within 2 years and
few survive longer than three years.
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TREATMENT
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Treatment of glioblastoma may include the following: surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy.
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| SUGGESTED PROGRAMMATIC
ASSESSMENT* |
Suggested Listings for Evaluation:
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Pathology report of the cancer biopsy or surgical specimen is the critical information
necessary for disability evaluation.
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Clinical history and examination that describes the diagnostic features of the impairment.
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Results of neuroimaging (e.g. CT scan, MRI scan).
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| Suggested Listings for
Evaluation: |
| DETERMINATION |
LISTING
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REMARKS |
| Meets |
13.13 A 1 |
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113.13 A
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| Equals |
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| * Adjudicators may, at their discretion, use the Medical Evidence of Record or the
listings suggested to evaluate the claim. However, the decision to allow or deny the
claim rests with the adjudicator.
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