Glioblastoma multiforme: a look inside its heterogeneous nature

• Published in: Cancers Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 226 - 239
• Main Authors: Inda, Maria-Del-Mar, Bonavia, Rudy, Seoane, Joan
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.01.2014; MDPI
• Subjects: Cancer; cancer stem cell; Cell adhesion & migration; clonal evolution; glioblastoma; heterogeneity; Review; Tumors
• ISSN: 2072-6694; 2072-6694
• DOI: 10.3390/cancers6010226

Heterogeneity is a hallmark of tumors and has a crucial role in the outcome of the malignancy, because it not only confounds diagnosis, but also challenges the design of effective therapies. There are two types of heterogeneity: inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity. While inter-tumor heterogeneity has been studied widely, intra-tumor heterogeneity has been neglected even though numerous studies support this aspect of tumor pathobiology. The main reason has been the technical difficulties, but with new advances in single-cell technology, intra-tumor heterogeneity is becoming a key area in the study of cancer. Several models try to explain the origin and maintenance of intra-tumor heterogeneity, however, one prominent model compares cancer with a tree where the ubiquitous mutations compose the trunk and mutations present in subpopulations of cells are represented by the branches. In this review we will focus on the intra-tumor heterogeneity of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common brain tumor in adults that is characterized by a marked heterogeneity at the cellular and molecular levels. Better understanding of this heterogeneity will be essential to design effective therapies against this devastating disease to avoid tumor escape.