glioblastoma

noun

glio·​blas·​to·​ma ˌglī-ō-ˌbla-ˈstō-mə 

variants or less commonly glioblastoma multiforme

-ˌməlt-ə-ˈfȯrm-ē 

plural glioblastomas also glioblastomata ˌglī-ō-ˌbla-ˈstō-mə-tə  or glioblastomas multiforme or glioblastoma multiformes

: a malignant rapidly growing astrocytoma of the central nervous system and usually of a cerebral hemisphere

Examples of glioblastoma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Mum’s the Word podcast host, 33, debuted a new romance on Instagram on Sunday, Sept. 22, two years after Tom died in March 2022 following a diagnosis of stage four glioblastoma. —Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024

His agent and manager, Robbie Kass, only revealed after his death that the actor suffered a seizure in December 2013 that eventually revealed a grade IV glioblastoma, the product of a common and often fatal type of brain cancer. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 21 Sep. 2024

My father, Lionel, was killed by a stray bullet in 2013; and in October 2023, my mother, Adrienne, died of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 11 Sep. 2024

Tragedy struck a second time in 2015 when Beau succumbed to glioblastoma at age 46. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 28 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from glia glia + blast- + -oma

First Known Use

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

glioblastoma

noun

glio·​blas·​to·​ma ˌglī-(ˌ)ō-bla-ˈstō-mə 

plural glioblastomas also glioblastomata -mət-ə 

: a malignant rapidly growing astrocytoma of the central nervous system and usually of a cerebral hemisphere

Glioblastoma is the worst grade of malignant glioma, a relatively uncommon but deadly class of brain tumors that kills 97% of those diagnosed within 5 years.

—Greg Miller, Science

called also glioblastoma multiforme