Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Astrocytoma

Astrocytomas are intracranial tumors derived from astrocytes cells of the brain. They can have narrow or diffuse zones of infiltration. more...

Home
Diseases
A
Aagenaes syndrome
Aarskog Ose Pande syndrome
Aarskog syndrome
Aase Smith syndrome
Aase syndrome
ABCD syndrome
Abdallat Davis Farrage...
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Abdominal cystic...
Abdominal defects
Ablutophobia
Absence of Gluteal muscle
Acalvaria
Acanthocheilonemiasis
Acanthocytosis
Acarophobia
Acatalasemia
Accessory pancreas
Achalasia
Achard syndrome
Achard-Thiers syndrome
Acheiropodia
Achondrogenesis
Achondrogenesis type 1A
Achondrogenesis type 1B
Achondroplasia
Achondroplastic dwarfism
Achromatopsia
Acid maltase deficiency
Ackerman syndrome
Acne
Acne rosacea
Acoustic neuroma
Acquired ichthyosis
Acquired syphilis
Acrofacial dysostosis,...
Acromegaly
Acrophobia
Acrospiroma
Actinomycosis
Activated protein C...
Acute febrile...
Acute intermittent porphyria
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Acute mountain sickness
Acute myelocytic leukemia
Acute myelogenous leukemia
Acute necrotizing...
Acute promyelocytic leukemia
Acute renal failure
Acute respiratory...
Acute tubular necrosis
Adams Nance syndrome
Adams-Oliver syndrome
Addison's disease
Adducted thumb syndrome...
Adenoid cystic carcinoma
Adenoma
Adenomyosis
Adenosine deaminase...
Adenosine monophosphate...
Adie syndrome
Adrenal incidentaloma
Adrenal insufficiency
Adrenocortical carcinoma
Adrenogenital syndrome
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Aerophobia
Agoraphobia
Agrizoophobia
Agyrophobia
Aicardi syndrome
Aichmophobia
AIDS
AIDS Dementia Complex
Ainhum
Albinism
Albright's hereditary...
Albuminurophobia
Alcaptonuria
Alcohol fetopathy
Alcoholic hepatitis
Alcoholic liver cirrhosis
Alektorophobia
Alexander disease
Alien hand syndrome
Alkaptonuria
Alliumphobia
Alopecia
Alopecia areata
Alopecia totalis
Alopecia universalis
Alpers disease
Alpha 1-antitrypsin...
Alpha-mannosidosis
Alport syndrome
Alternating hemiplegia
Alzheimer's disease
Amaurosis
Amblyopia
Ambras syndrome
Amelogenesis imperfecta
Amenorrhea
American trypanosomiasis
Amoebiasis
Amyloidosis
Amyotrophic lateral...
Anaphylaxis
Androgen insensitivity...
Anemia
Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan
Anemia, Pernicious
Anemia, Sideroblastic
Anemophobia
Anencephaly
Aneurysm
Aneurysm
Aneurysm of sinus of...
Angelman syndrome
Anguillulosis
Aniridia
Anisakiasis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylostomiasis
Annular pancreas
Anorchidism
Anorexia nervosa
Anosmia
Anotia
Anthophobia
Anthrax disease
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Antisocial personality...
Antithrombin deficiency,...
Anton's syndrome
Aortic aneurysm
Aortic coarctation
Aortic dissection
Aortic valve stenosis
Apert syndrome
Aphthous stomatitis
Apiphobia
Aplastic anemia
Appendicitis
Apraxia
Arachnoiditis
Argininosuccinate...
Argininosuccinic aciduria
Argyria
Arnold-Chiari malformation
Arrhythmogenic right...
Arteriovenous malformation
Arteritis
Arthritis
Arthritis, Juvenile
Arthrogryposis
Arthrogryposis multiplex...
Asbestosis
Ascariasis
Aseptic meningitis
Asherman's syndrome
Aspartylglycosaminuria
Aspergillosis
Asphyxia neonatorum
Asthenia
Asthenia
Asthenophobia
Asthma
Astrocytoma
Ataxia telangiectasia
Atelectasis
Atelosteogenesis, type II
Atherosclerosis
Athetosis
Atopic Dermatitis
Atrial septal defect
Atrioventricular septal...
Atrophy
Attention Deficit...
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune...
Automysophobia
Autonomic dysfunction
Familial Alzheimer disease
Senescence
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Grading

Astrocytomas have great variation in their presentation. WHO acknowledges the following grading system for astrocytomas:

  • WHO Grade 1 — pilocytic astrocytoma - accounts for 5% of all reported brain tumors, with a median age at diagnosis of 12 years. This brain tumor is primarily pediatric, although it is also found in adults.
  • WHO Grade 2 — diffuse astrocytoma
  • WHO Grade 3 — anaplastic (malignant) astrocytoma - accounts for 7% of all primary brain tumors, with the median age at diagnosis of 51 years of age.
  • WHO Grade 4 — glioblastoma multiforme (most common) - accounts for 45% of all reported brain tumors, with the median age at diagnosis of 64 years of age.

In addition to these four tumor grades, astrocytomas may combine with oligodendrocytes to produce oligoastrocytoma. Unique astrocytoma variants have also been known to exist.

Symptoms

Although there is variation in initial presentation, in many cases, the first symptom of an astrocytoma is the onset of seizure activity or severe headache. Presentation will vary depending upon the astrocytoma grade, the location of the tumor, among other factors. A Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan is necessary to characterize the anatomy of this tumor (size, location, heter/homogeneity). However, final diagnosis of this tumor, like most tumors, relies on histopathologic examination (biopsy examination).

Treatment

A surgeon will typically remove as much of the tumor as he or she can without damaging other critical, healthy brain structures. Often, surgery is followed up by chemotherapy, radiation, or a mix of both. Therapy may be more or less aggressive, depending upon the tumor behavior and patient condition.

Astrocytomas often reappear - the reoccurrence of the tumor are often visible on MRI. The recurrent tumors are then treated similarly as the initial tumor, with sometimes more aggressive chemo or radiation therapy.

There is great life expectancy variation between different subsets of brain tumor. Age and initial diagnosis are often related to survival time.

The prognosis is worst for Grade 4 gliomas, with an average survival time of 14-18 months. Overall, the five year survival rate is 5%.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


The Official Parent's Sourcebook On Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma: Directory For The Internet Age $32.66 The Official Parent's Sourcebook on Childhood Cerebral Astrocytoma: A Revised and Updated Directory for the Internet Age $28.95
Donaldson v. Van de Kamp. (premortem cryogenic suspension and assisted suicide) : An article from: Issues in Law & Medicine $5.95

Nasal glioma mimicking an astrocytoma: case report
Abstract Nasal glioma is a rare benign tumor that usually occurs during infancy. We report a case of nasal glioma in a 6-month-old boy in which the ...
Acquired cerebral arteriovenous malformation induced by an anaplastic astrocytoma: An interesting case
High grade gliomas foster an environment rich in angiogenic factors that promote neovascularity. We report a case of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation, ...
Astrocytoma presenting with apnea and sinus arrest
Although some vascular lesions of the central nervous system are known to cause abnormalities in the control of breathing, association between astrocytoma ...
Astrocytoma
Definition Astrocytoma is a tumor that arises from astrocytes, star-shaped cells that play a supportive role in the brain. Description The ...
Do radiofrequency energy fields cause cancer?
Do devices such as cell or mobile phones, which emit radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF), cause cancer? According to the American Cancer Society ...
Schering-Plough's TEMODAL Capsule for Glioblastoma Multiforme Granted Priority Review by Government
Tokyo, Japan, Nov 2, 2005 - (JCNN) - Schering-Plough K.K. has announced that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has granted the company ...
Occupational carcinogens: ELF MFs
Siemiatycki et al. (2004) published a list of occupational carcinogens based largely on the evaluations published by the International Agency for Research ...
Neurosurgery of complex vascular lesions and tumors
Neurosurgery of complex vascular lesions and tumors. Ed. by Shigeaki Kobayashi. Thieme Medical Publishers 2005 354 pages $149.95 Hardcover ...

Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay