The End-of-Life in patients with glioma and their families

Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are confronted with a very serious disease and suffer sooner or later from various physical, psychic, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. This is a big challenge, not just for the patients, even their (caring) family members are forced to deal with this new life-changing situation. Studies investigate symptoms and circumstances of GBM patients during their End-of-Life phase. It is out of discussion, that patients with GBM and their family members should be prepared for the inevitable End-of-Life phase very early in the disease, however, presently there are neither existing guidelines for treating physicians, nor educational programs for caring family members available.