Background: High-grade glioma is a primary malignant brain tumour which affects about 200 Norwegian patients each year. Diagnosis and treatment of high-grade gliomas in adults has been reviewed.
Material and methods: The article is based on recent literature retrieved through a non-systematic search in PubMed and the authors' experience with the patient group.
Results: The most common symptoms are focal neurological deficits, epileptic seizures and pressure symptoms. The patients should be examined by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and the diagnosis confirmed with biopsy. No curative treatment is currently available for high-grade gliomas. The standard treatment is surgical resection followed by radiation therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy (temozolomid). Five-year survival is only 6.1 %.
Interpretation: The diagnosis is composite with both neurological symptoms and cognitive problems. This requires good communication with the patient and close cooperation between various departments and the primary health services. Symptomatic treatment and multidisciplinary follow-up is necessary.