TUMOR MARKERS AND GUIDELINES IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor in adults, characterized by high lethality and complex molecular heterogeneity. This narrative literature review, based on PubMed database data from the last five years, aims to synthesize current guidelines for diagnosis and the role of tumor markers in the management of this pathology. The analysis demonstrates that contemporary diagnostic classification requires mandatory integration of histological data with molecular profiling, highlighting markers such as IDH1/2 status, MGMT promoter methylation, EGFR amplification, and alterations in TERT and CDKN2A/B for prognostic and therapeutic definition. It was also observed that the tumor microenvironment, influenced by hypoxic niches and adrenomedulin secretion, contributes significantly to therapeutic resistance. Given infrastructure and funding barriers in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), metabolomics applied to liquid biopsies emerges as an essential scientific frontier. The identification of plasmatic biomarkers, such as the pair 5-hydroxymethyluracil and pyruvic acid, presents high diagnostic accuracy, offering a promising alternative to reduce the need for invasive neurosurgical procedures, expedite the diagnostic workflow, and promote more equitable precision interventions.