What is Glioblastoma that caused the death of Annabel Giles?

Annabel Giles, the TV presenter and actor has passed away months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 64. Her family announced her death on social media. Annabel Giles’s Molly and Tedd shared a post via her Instagram account stating that their “incredible mother” had died at Martlets hospice in Hove on Monday afternoon.

She was suffering from glioblastoma which is a grade 4 astrocytoma tumour. Her friends and family are experiencing great sorrow and so does her followers.

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What caused the death of Annabel Giles?

(Image by @annabel_giles on Instagram)

Annabel Giles was a successful woman as she appeared on TV shows like “Have I Got News for You” and “Shooting Stars”. She appeared on radio programmes as well which include “BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute” and “Loose Ends”. In 2013, Annabel Giles was on the 13th series of the reality show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”. She worked as a model and novelist too. Recently, she re-educated and began to work as a counselor and psychotherapist.

Annabel Giles was married to Midge Ure who is the lead singer of “Ultravox” and had two children. The couple separated in 1989. She died because of stage 4 glioblastoma which her family confirmed by stating:

“In the four months that followed, she displayed remarkable resilience and strength, despite undergoing brain surgery and countless radiotherapies. In her final weeks, she was passionate about raising awareness for glioblastoma, embodying her lifelong commitment to helping others.”

The family statement also mentioned:

“Mum was truly one of a kind, an enigma to those privileged to share her life. True to her nature, she kept spirits high and maintained her quick wit until the very end. Her humour and laughter will leave us inspired to live life to the fullest, just as she always did.”

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Prognosis of grade 4 glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is a rare brain tumor (Image by dcstudio on freepik)

Annabel Giles’s cause of death, Glioblastoma, is a grade 4 astrocytoma tumor that originates in astrocytes. These are star-shaped cells important to nourish and support the neurons of the brain.

It is a rare disease that happens to only 1 per 10,000 cases, among all cancers. Glioblastomas can grow very rapidly within the brain. As they are notorious in nature, this implicates fast replication of cells and a large-scale network of blood vessels feeding its aggressive appetite.

Glioblastoma can be categorized from 1 to 4 depending on their cellular appearance and comparing it to typically-functioning cells. Annabel Giles was suffering from a grade 4 astrocytoma tumor which meant her tumor was voracious and grew rapidly,

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Life expectancy and treatment

The average time of survival, for struggling with glioblastoma is merely 15 months for adults. But because of recent research and extensive new treatment options, especially for those with favorable genetic markers like MGMT methylation, give some extension to life expectancy.

Treatment for glioblastoma shows daunting challenges. The quick growth and difficult finger-like projections into the brain make the whole removal surgically very challenging. Other treatment involves surgeries to remove as much part of the tumour as possible which is continued by radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide.

There are clinical trials also available for glioblastoma treatment. Immunotherapy which helps the body's immune system, stem cell therapy which utilizes early cells known as stem cells and gene therapy which corrects correcting defective genes, all these approaches are effective and help deplete this aggressive tumour.