Glioblastoma Patient-Derived Cell Lines: Generation of Nonadherent Cellular Models from Brain Tumors

Glioblastomas are brain tumors derived from astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. These tumors have a heterogeneous structure composed of a necrotic and vascularized center and an invasive periphery. The rapid growth of glioblastoma and its ability to invade surrounding tissues make this cancer difficult to treat. The median survival of patients afflicted with the disease ranges from 12 to 15 months. The standard treatment, based on the Stupp protocol, consisting of a resection of the tumor mass and adjuvant temozolomide treatment and/or radiotherapy, allows delaying recurrence for only a few months. Since tumor cell invasion is the central element in tumor recurrence, it is important to understand the mechanisms of tumor invasion and the interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment. To this aim, suitable models have been developed and are constantly updated. In this article, we describe in detail experimental procedures based on the spheroid technology which allow mechanistical studies related to proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion.