Glioblastoma Tumor Cell (GBM Cell)

Glioblastoma tumor cells are the malignant cellular component of glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive and common primary brain tumor. These cells originate from glial cells called astrocytes. GBM is characterized by rapid growth, high invasiveness, and resistance to conventional therapies. The tumor cells exhibit marked hypercellularity, nuclear atypia, microvascular proliferation, intratumoral necrosis, and vascular hyperplasia. A key feature is cellular heterogeneity including glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) which drive tumor initiation, progression, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. Common molecular features include EGFR amplification/mutation, MGMT promoter methylation, and IDH status. Recent research has identified new immunotherapy targets on glioblastoma tumor cells, such as the CD161 receptor pathway and CLEC2D ligand. GBMs display altered metabolism favoring rapid growth. The heterogeneity within glioblastoma tumor cell populations underlies challenges such as drug resistance, recurrence after therapy, poor prognosis, and difficulty achieving complete surgical resection.

Other names

GBM CellGlioblastoma cellMalignant astrocyteGlioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs)Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in GBM

Varies depending on the specific therapeutic target within the glioblastoma tumor cell (e.g., inhibition of EGFR signaling, DNA alkylation).