Astrocytoma

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Astrocytoma is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

None

Disorder Subdivisions

grade I astrocytoma
grade II astrocytoma
grade III astrocytoma
grade IV astrocytoma

General Discussion

An astrocytoma is a tumor that arises from the star-shaped cells (astrocytes) that form the supportive tissue of the brain. Other supportive cells of the brain include oligodendrocytes and ependymal cells. Collectively, these cells are known as glial cells and the tissue they form is known as glial tissue. Tumors that arise from the glial tissue, including astrocytomas, are collectively referred to as gliomas.

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. Infiltrating, or diffuse astrocytomas are more common than noninfiltrating astrocytomas. They are generally more common in men and are most common in the cerebral hemispheres of adult patients. In children they occur both in the cerebral hemispheres as well as the brain stem. Tumors from oligodendrocytes (oligodendrodendrogliomas) are also in the category of infiltrating gliomas and can occasionally be difficult to distinguish from astrocytomas. Some infiltrating gliomas are categorized as mixed oligodendroglioma-astrocytoma (oligoastrocytoma).

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 40.

Grade III astrocytoma is also called anaplastic (malignant) astrocytoma because this tumor grows more quickly than a grade II astrocytoma. Anaplastic astrocytoma occurs most often in adults between the ages of 30 and 50, and accounts for 4% of all brain tumors.
Grade IV astrocytoma is also called glioblastoma or GBM and is the most aggressive type of nervous system tumor. It is also referred to as glioblastoma multiforme because of its wide variety of appearances under the microscope. Rarely, non-glial tissue elements can exist in a glioblastoma. The most common variant of GBM showing these additional tissue elements is called a mixed glioblastoma-sarcoma, or gliosarcoma. GBM 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.

Resources

American Brain Tumor Association
2720 River Road
Suite 146
Des Plaines, IL 60018
USA
Tel: 8478279910
Fax: 8478279918
Tel: 8008862282
Email: info@abta.org
Internet: http://www.abta.org

National Brain Tumor Foundation
22 Battery Street
Suite 612
San Francisco, CA 94111-5520
USA
Tel: 4158349970
Fax: 4158349980
Tel: 8009342873
Email: nbtf@braintumor.org
Internet: http://www.braintumor.org

Brain Tumor Society
124 Watertown Street
Suite 3H
Watertown, MA 02472-2500
Tel: (617)924-9997
Fax: (617)924-9998
Tel: (800)770-8287
Email: info@tbts.org
Internet: http://www.tbts.org

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
P.O. Box 498
Kensington, MD 20895-0498
Tel: (301)962-3520
Fax: (301)962-3521
Tel: (800)366-2223
Email: staff@candlelighters,org
Internet: http://www.candlelighters.org

Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center
McLean Hospital
115 Mill Street
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel: (617)855-2400
Fax: (617)855-3199
Tel: (800)272-4622
Email: btrc@mclean.org
Internet: http://www.brainbank.mclean.org

Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
302 Ridgefield Court
Asheville, NC 28806
Tel: (828)665-6891
Fax: (828)665-6894
Tel: (800)253-6530
Internet: http://www.pbtfus.org

FightJPA.org
114 Huntington Road
Brighten, MA 02135
Email: contact@fightjpa.org
Internet: http://www.fightJPA.org

American Association of Neurological Surgeons
5550 Meadowbrook Drive
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-3852
Tel: (847)378-0500
Fax: (847)378-0600
Tel: (888)566-2267
Email: info@aans.org
Internet: http://www.NeurosurgeryToday.org and http://www.AANS.org

People Living With Cancer
1900 Duke Street
Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: (703)299-0150
Fax: (703)684-8618
Tel: (888)651-3038
Email: contactus@plwc.org
Internet: http://www.plwc.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.
It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.
This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.
For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org
Last Updated: 4/30/2007
Copyright 1990, 1995, 2005, 2007 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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