Episode 360: An Overview of Brain Malignancies for Oncology Nurses

“Everyone’s brain is extremely heterogenic, so it’s different. You can put five of us in a room; we can all have the same diagnosis of a [glioblastoma multiforme], but all of ours can be different. They’re highly aggressive biologically. It’s a small area in a hard shell. So trying to get through the blood–brain barrier is different. There’s a lot of areas of hypoxia in the brain. There’s a lot of pressure there. The microbiology is very different—it’s a cold environment versus a hot environment—and then the pathways are just different,” Lori Cappello, MSN, APN-C, CCRP, research advanced practice nurse at the John Theurer Cancer Center of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS^®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about brain malignancies and caring for patients with them.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by April 25, 2027. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge related to brain malignancies and their diagnosis and treatment.

Episode Notes 

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. 
• ONS Podcast™ episodes:
• Episode 235: Self-Advocacy Skills for Patients
• Episode 166: Cognitive Behavioral Interventions Help Patients With a Spectrum of Cancer Symptoms
• ONS Voice articles:
• Glioblastoma Diagnosis, Treatment, Side Effect Management, and Survivorship Recommendations
• Blocking Fatty Acid Storage May Induce Glioblastoma Apoptosis
• Brain Tumor Navigator Role Bridges the Intersection of Cancer and Neuroscience
• Researchers Tie More Cancers, Mortality to NF1 Disorders
• Larotrectinib and Other Tumor-Agnostic Targeted Therapies Are Leading Cancer Care Into the Next Frontier
• McCain Announcement Sheds Light on Nurses’ Role in Advance Care Planning
• ONS book: Manual for Radiation Oncology Nursing Practice and Education (fifth edition)
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
• Implementing a Standardized Educational Tool for Patients With Brain Tumors Undergoing Concurrent Temozolomide and Radiation Therapy
• Exercise Intervention: A Pilot Study to Assess the Feasibility and Impact on Cancer-Related Fatigue and Quality of Life Among Patients With High-Grade Glioma
• Society for Neuro-Oncology
• Musella Foundation
• End Brain Cancer Initiative
• Brain Tumor Network
• American Brain Tumor Association
• Glioblastoma Research Organization
• Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative
• Optune Gio^® website
• Nurse.org article: Mysterious Brain Tumor Cluster Grows: Another Nurse Diagnosed at Newton-Wellesley
• Lori Cappello’s contact information: [email protected]

To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library.

To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email [email protected].

Highlights From This Episode

“A glioblastoma actually is the most predominant brain tumor that we do see. It is the most diagnosed of the brain tumors. And then I would say that an anaplastic astrocytoma is probably the second diagnosed. Historically a GBM, they used to say was probably an elderly patient for these. But we are definitely seeing it diagnosed at a much younger age now, definitely much more prevalent for people under 60.” TS 3:17

“Nine times out of ten, either a patient out of nowhere has a seizure, or they present with what they think are stroke-like symptoms. They noticed that they were slurring, or they were becoming more forgetful, or a family member noticed it and said, ‘Hey, what is going on with you?’ But usually they present to the [emergency department], and a [computed tomography] scan is always done first. And lo and behold, something is seen.” TS 4:50

“The only other U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment that has come along in the last 20 years is a device called Optune Gio, which is an alternating electric field that stops cell division at the mitosis stage.” TS 7:45

“They lose so much of their independence, especially if they don’t have a caregiver or help. That is huge. Medication management at home, to making sure that they’re taking the medication properly, that they are actually taking their medication. Transportation is another huge problem. Getting to and from appointments is a challenge. Those are big issues—real, day-to-day, simple issues that people don’t think about.” TS 17:11

“I think that having a brain tumor is very unique in the fact that you really need a dedicated neuro-oncologist. And depending on where you live, there are not a lot in the area. I actually had a patient that was moving out west, and the closest dedicated neuro-oncologist was four hours from them. … if you're not seeing dedicated neuro oncologists, you might not be getting the best treatment for yourself. So I think that having the resources and helping patients find the best care or the best brain tumor society—and there’s a bunch of really good brain tumor groups to help patients find the best resources out there. I think that's really, really important for patients to know or for families to know.” TS 19:17

“So trying to help patients, there are always going to be challenges, and there are always going to be ups and downs. But finding that one person that they can go to, that they trust, that they have a great relationship with, whether at the doctor's office or whatever, and being available to them makes such a difference in their journey. I think that that is the most important for anybody in the journey.” TS 22:08

“With brain, there are going to be expectations. They are going to lose functionality at some point—and preparing them for that thing or preparing them for things that can help themselves. Like sometimes I say, ‘Go to the dollar store, get coloring books,’ if they have weakness in one hand. Little tricks of the trade that can help them. About treatment options, going through the side effects, preparing them for whatever they can be prepared for.” TS 22:39

“It is not one of the better cancers to have, but it doesn’t immediately mean it’s a death sentence, and we shouldn’t treat them like they’re dying. We shouldn’t take away their ability to live just because they were diagnosed with it. We shouldn’t take away hope.” TS 25:35

“I think there's not enough discussed about [brain malignancies] and the lack of resources for this. These patients need a lot more resources and are available. There’s just not enough available for it.” TS 26:59