Astrocytoma

Brain cancer

Astrocytoma

A type of brain cancer that forms with star-shaped cells. They often grow very slowly or not at all for long periods of time.

Symptoms

HeadachesVomitingMental status changesOther symptoms such as: DrowsinessLethargy Personality changesImpaired mental faculties

Surgery

Surgery is usually done to make a diagnosis and to improve symptoms. This may be enough to cure benign brain tumors.

Low Grade and High Grade

In young children, the growing pressure might enlarge their head. Radiation therapy is required to treat gliomas. Low grade is found in children and high grade is found in adults. There is the likelihood that they will spread to nearby brain tissue. The national institutes of health reports that’s about 15% of all Astrocytoma patients have inherited tumors. Treatment of a brain tumor depends on the maturity of the tumor. The cause of most Astrocytoma is unknown.

Four Grades

There are four grades of Astrocytoma depending on how fast the cell is growing.

Pilocytic Astrocytomas

2% of all brain tumors in teens and children are Pilocytic Astrocytomas. A report from the National Institute

of Health states that the incidence of Pilocytic Astrocytomas in patients ages 19 and younger is 0.87 for every 100,000.