Glioblastoma Multiforme and Adult Neurogenesis in the Ventricular-Subventricular Zone: A Review.

Brain cancers account for <1,5% of all new cancer cases reported in the United States each year. Due to their invasive and heterogeneous nature, in addition to their resistance to multimodal treatments, these tumors are usually fatal. Gliomas, and in particular high-grade astrocytomas such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), are the most common and lethal primary tumors of the central nervous system. The median survival of most patients is less than 1 year after application of multimodal therapies. The question is why are these cancers so injurious? And above all, how is it possible for a so carefully orchestrated area like the brain to develop such tumors? This brings us to the study of glioma stem cells, their specialized niches (perivascular and hypoxic), and the neurogenic phenomena that takes place within the adult ventricular-subventricular zone: a structure that lies at the intersection between brain development and gliomagenesis. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1596-1601, 2017.