Gliomas Biology: Angiogenesis and Invasion

Glial tumors, within neuroepitelial-derived lesions, are the most common intra-assial neo‐ plastic histotypes. Gliomas account for about 45% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors and 77% of all malignant primary CNS tumors. Gliomas can originate from neural stem cells, progenitor cells, or from de-differentiated mature neural cells transformed into cancer stem cells. Although brain tumors constitute only a small proportion of overall human malignancies, they carry high rates of morbidity and mortality. Mortality is still close to 100% and the average survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is less than 1 year when classical treatment is used. Recent progresses in multimodal treatment has led to only a slight increase in average survival up to 15-18 months [1]. The effectiveness of the actual chemotherapeutic approach and multimodal targeted therapies remains modest in gliomas.