Disease Information for Astrocytoma

A tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord in small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes; benign; grade I astrocytoma; grade II astrocytoma;

grade III astrocytoma; grade IV astrocytoma

An astrocytoma is a tumor that arises from the star-shaped cells (astrocytes) that form the supportive tissue of the brain; The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies astrocytomas into four grades depending on how fast they are growing and the likelihood that they will spread (infiltrate) to nearby brain tissue; Noninfiltrating astrocytomas usually grow more slowly than the infiltrating forms; Grade I astrocytoma is usually a noninfiltrating tumor; The most common type of grade I astrocytoma is pilocytic astrocytoma which is also known as juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma or JPA; This tumor grows slowly but can become very large; Pilocytic astrocytoma occurs most often in the cerebellum, cerebrum, optic nerve pathway and brainstem; This tumor occurs most often in children and teens and accounts for 2% of all brain tumors; Grade II astrocytoma is also called low-grade astrocytoma or diffuse astrocytoma and is usually an infiltrating tumor; This tumor grows relatively slowly and usually does not have well-defined borders; It occurs most often in adults between the ages of 20 and 60; Grade III astrocytoma is also called anaplastic (malignant) astrocytoma because this tumor grows into surrounding tissue and grows more quickly than a grade II astrocytoma; Anaplastic astrocytoma occurs most often in adults between the ages of 30 and 60, is more common in men and accounts for 4% of all brain tumors;

Grade IV astrocytoma is also called glioblastoma multiforme or GBM and is the most invasive type of nervous system tumor; GBM is usually composed of a mix of cell types in addition to astrocytes; This tumor occurs most often in adults between the ages of 50 and 80, is more common in men, and accounts for 23% of all primary brain tumors;-------------[NORD 2005]---------------malignant:

Astrocytoma, Malignant; Anaplastic Astrocytoma;

Astrocytoma, grades 3-4; Giant Cell Glioblastoma, Astrocytoma Spongioblastoma Multiforme;

Malignant Astrocytoma is an infiltrating, primary brain tumor, with tentacles that may invade surrounding tissue; This provides a butterfly-like distribution pattern through the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres; The tumor may invade a membrane covering the brain (the dura), or spread via the spinal fluid through the ventricles of the brain; Spread of the tumor (metastasis) outside the brain and spinal cord is rare ---------------[NORD 2005]-----------

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