Glioma is a general term used to describe any tumor that comes from the supportive gluey tissue of the brain. The tissue called glia helps to keep neurons in place and functioning normally.
There are 3 types of normal glial cells that can produce tumors:
– Astrocyte will produce astrocytomas, including glioblastomas
– Oligodendrocyte will produce oligodendrogliomas
– Ependymomas comes from ependymal cells
Tumors that display a mixture of these cells are called mixed gliomas and tumors such as optic nerve glioma and brain stem glioma are named for their locations, not the type of tissue which they originate.
Description (ABTA, 2014)
– Astrocytoma: Click here to learn more
– Ependymoma: Click here to learn more
– Mixed Glioma (Oligoastrocytoma): These tumors usually contain a high proportion of more than one type of cell, most often astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Occasionally, ependymal cells are also found. The behavior of a mixed glioma appears to depend on the grade of the tumor. It is less clear whether their behavior is based on that of the most abundant cell type.
– Oligodendroglioma: Click here to learn more
– Optic Glioma: These tumors may involve any part of the optic pathway, and they have the potential to spread along these pathways. Most of these tumors occur in children under the age of 10. Grade I pilocytic astrocytoma and grade II fibrillary astrocytoma are the most common tumors affecting these structures. Higher-grade tumors may also arise in this location. Twenty percent of children with neurofibromatosis (NF-1) will develop an optic glioma. These gliomas are typically grade I, pilocyticastrocytomas. Children with optic glioma are usually screened for NF-1 for this reason. Adults with NF-1 typically do not develop optic gliomas.
– GliomatosisCerebri: This is an uncommon brain tumor that features widespread glial tumor cells in the brain. This tumor is different from other gliomas because it is scattered and widespread, typically involving two or more lobes of the brain. It could be considered a “widespread low-grade glioma” because it does not have the malignant features seen in high-grade tumors.
Symptoms
May vary based on the tumor type: (ABTA, 2014)
– Astrocytoma:Click here to learn more
– Ependymoma: Click here to learn more
– Mixed Glioma/Oligoastrocytoma: The initial symptoms, including headache and nausea, usually are the result of increased pressure inside the brain. Vision problems, as well as changes in behavior and personality, are also fairly common in mixed glioma patients.
– Oliogodendroglioma: Click here to learn more
– Optic Glioma: These tumors may cause few or no symptoms. Their placement along the optic nerve, however, can cause vision loss (depending on the location of the tumor) or strabismus (“crossed eyes”). Hormonal disturbance might also occur, causing developmental delay(s), early puberty, and other symptoms.
– GliomatosisCerebri: Symptoms are often nonspecific and can include personality and behavioral changes, memory disturbance, increased intracranial pressure with headache and sometimes seizures.
Diagnosis
Focused neurological examination will often detect the problem that will make a physician to order CT scan or MRI scan. One of these two scans are often enough to indicate if a patient is suffering from glioma. In general, MRI scans with or without intravenous contrast dye is the best procedure for detecting glioma. The standard glioma diagnosis requires minimum a biopsy of the lesion in question.
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