What is astrocytoma?

Astrocytomas are tumors derived from star-shaped astrocyte cells in your CNS. Even though they tend to develop within the brain, sometimes they occur within the spinal cord. Benign and malignant types are also possible.

Astrocytes are what refer to the astrocytes as glial cells giving support tissue to your brain. Other kinds of glial cells include ependymal cells and oligodendrocytes. The most common kind of glioma is an astrocyte. A kind of tumour referred to as a glioma, develops when the glial cells grow out of control.

Medical experts classify different forms of astrocytomas according to grades. They do not have a staging system like most other kinds of cancer.

What are the types of astrocytoma?

WHO classify astrocytes into Grades 1 through 4. Low-grade astrocytomas include Grade 1 and Grade 2 astrocytomas.

Pilocytic astrocytoma is another kind of low-grade astrocytoma. WHO Grade 1, pilocytic astrocytoma is commonly observed in children. It is not termed as cancer as it does not spread across the brain. It is rare for adult pilocytic astrocytoma to occur.

WHO Low-grade astrocytomas also include grade 2 astrocytoma tumors. However, they can affect more areas of the brain than Grade 1 astrocytomas and grow faster than Grade 1 tumors. Young people are more likely to have grade 2 astrocytomas.

Who is affected by astrocytoma?

Although anyone can get an astrocyte, people of different grades typically get them at various ages:

• Most children and teenagers are affected by grade 1 astrocytomas.
• Adults aged between 20 years and 60 years are most commonly affected by grade 2 astrocytes.
• Adults between the ages of 30 years and 60 years are most commonly affected by grade 3 astrocytes.
• The most common individuals affected with glioblastoma, or grade 4 astrocytoma, are between the ages of 50 and 80 years.

Grade 3 and 4 astrocytomas occur more frequently in adults assigned male at birth than in those assigned female at birth.

What are the sign of astrocytoma?

Symptoms may arise as the astrocytoma grows and compresses the brain. They are somewhat dependent on the location and size of your tumor. Among the early symptoms are:

• A headache
• Blurry vision
• Convulsions
• Loss of memory
• Vomiting and feeling queasy
• Behavioural shifts

What causes astrocytoma?

The specific reasons are not known. Some genetic risk factors have been associated with astrocytes. Astrocytoma might be associated with some genetic disorders, including von Hippel-Landau disease, Turcot syndrome, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

How do you diagnose astrocytomas?

Due to their resemblance to other brain disorders, astrocytomas can be challenging for medical professionals to identify or suspect.

Whatever is the case, your physician will ask about your medical history and symptoms. They likely will perform a neurological examination. This can help find where in your brain or spinal cord the problem could be.

Your doctor may provide you with prescriptions for a test that scans images of your brain. The imaging test that could best identify or detect astrocytomas in the body is MRI. Your doctor may ask for a computed tomography if you cannot undertake an MRI owing to a pacemaker or joint implant.

If anything abnormal shows up on the brain imaging test, your doctor is likely to suggest a biopsy or resection-tumor removal to determine the diagnosis.

What is the treatment for astrocytoma?

Treatment of astrocytes depends on many factors, which include:

• The location, size, and type of the tumour.
• Age
• General state of health.

Several experts will team up to find the most suitable treatment strategy for you. They may involve:

• Neurologists
• Neurosurgeons
• Oncologists that specialize in radiotherapy
• Medical oncologists.

Astrocytomas are generally treated by:

• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Adjuvant chemotherapy
• Fields of treatment for tumors (in glioblastomas)

You could potentially be allowed to participate in clinical trials.

Surgery for astrocytomas

For astrocytomas, surgery is the first line of treatment. It offers three notable advantages:

• It allows your medical team to take tissue from the tumour so it can be examined under a microscope to determine exactly what it is.
• Doctors can perform additional testing on the tumour in search of proteins and mutations which some drugs may target.
• It allows for the removal of as much of the tumor as is feasible. This way, you can reduce pressure and prevent further complications with your brain and skull.

Surgery is usually all that is needed to treat grade 1 astrocytomas because they grow slowly and do not invade other parts of the brain.

Additional treatments for astrocytoma

This is sometimes called helper therapy because it is used on the cancer cells that remain alive after the primary treatment. Surgery is the primary treatment for astrocytomas.

Surgery alone cannot be used to treat grade 3 and grade 4 astrocytomas. Adjuvant therapy is sometimes needed to treat grade 2 astrocytomas.

Adjuvant therapies for astrocytomas include:

• TMZ chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. One of the drugs, called temozolomide (TMZ), kills tumour cells by changing their DNA. For each grade 3 and grade 4 astrocytoma, TMZ is considered the first-line adjuvant therapeutic treatment. Doctors sometimes prescribe it for grade 2 astrocytomas too.
• Radiation therapy: This method kills cancer cells by using radiation, often powerful X-rays. In most cases, it works very well to treat astrocytomas.
• Bevacizumab: It is an injection drug that stops blood vessels from promoting the growth of the tumour. It can help alleviate discomfort and lessen swelling.

Tumor-treating fields: It is a special helmet-like device producing electrical fields, which can postpone the growth of tumors. The healthcare providers often recommend this treatment for newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastomas.

Can I avoid getting an astrocytoma?

Astrocytoma cannot be prevented. You can get most cases randomly.

Difficult as it is, make frequent visits to your health care team if you have a genetic disease which predisposes you to the possibility of developing astrocytoma so that they are watchful of any resultant symptom and recognize it at an early point.

What is the prognosis for astrocytoma?

The following factors influence the prognosis (prognosis) of astrocytoma:

• Tumour grade: With increasing grade, the prognosis often worsens
• How much of the tumour can be removed in surgery: Grade 1 astrocytomas can almost always be fully removed with surgery alone. Astrocytomas grades 2 through 4 cannot be totally removed, but the chance to survive improves with the amount of tissue that the neurosurgeon is able to remove.
• Adjuvant treatment use: Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are examples of adjuvant therapies that can reduce symptoms and improve survival.
• Age: Younger ages are generally linked to longer survival times.
• Mental status: Longer survival is linked to minimal symptoms and normal neurological function.

You will be able to get more precise information about what to anticipate from your medical team. Do not hesitate to ask them questions.

What is the survival rate of astrocytoma?

The average survival rate depends upon the grade of astrocytoma, as follows:

• Grade 1: over ten years for pilocytic astrocytomas.
• Grade 2: over five years for astrocytomas.
• Grade 3: around two to five years for astrocytomas.
• Grade 4: glioblastomas-about a year.

It is important to remember that such figures are mere averages based on large populations of astrocytoma patients. Your health professionals can provide much more specific guidance about survival rate depending on the specifics of your case.

When should I bring up astrocytoma with my doctor?

If you need neurologists, oncologists, and neurosurgeons in order to establish that your therapy has been successful or is becoming successful, you have to visit doctors after a fixed period.

However, if the following new symptoms occur or continue to worsen, contact your medical professional without delay:

• Trouble with your memory.
• Seizures.
• Severe headaches orvision problems.
• Unexplainedweight

What questions should I ask my doctor?

The following questions may be helpful to ask your medical team:

• What causes my astrocytoma?
• What type of astrocytoma do I have?
• What treatment option is right for me?
• What clinical trials am I eligible for?
• What are the potential side effects and risks of the treatment?
• What type of follow-up care will I need after treatment?
• How likely is it that after treatment, my cancer will relapse or spread?
• While undergoing treatment what symptoms should be watched for?
• Is there astrocytoma in my family?

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for astrocytoma?

Tender Palm Hospital, owned by doctors, is renowned for attracting the most experienced professional in the country. With the finest neurologist and neurosurgeons specialized in astrocytoma. Tender Palm stands out as the premier Neurology hospital in Lucknow, India. Boasting cutting-edge infrastructure and advanced technology, Tender Palm ensures top-notch medical care for its patients.

To seek an expert consultation for any Neurology condition

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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