Is glioma malignant?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 19, 2024
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Glioblastoma is a type of malignant tumor, which generally grows at a fast pace. In the early stages of the disease, the glioma often adheres to the surrounding tissues, posing significant challenges for future complete surgical removal. At the same time, extensive cerebral edema occurs around the glioma. If prolonged, this can lead to a serious increase in intracranial pressure, manifesting as repeated headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting in the patient. Over time, this condition may also lead to optic nerve atrophy, resulting in decreased vision and visual field defects. Diagnosis generally benefits from cranial CT or MRI scans, but definitive diagnosis still requires surgical removal of the tumor. A small amount of tumor tissue is typically retained for pathological biopsy.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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Is a glioma benign or malignant?

Glioblastoma is the most common form of malignant tumor inside the skull, and the vast majority of glioblastomas are highly malignant. Once changes in this condition are detected, generally, the patient doesn't have much time left. If it is a relatively better glioblastoma, which means it is highly differentiated, the survival time is about 1-2 years. For some poorer glioblastomas, or those with low differentiation, their survival period is often only about six months, and they continuously spread along with nerve fibers to the surrounding areas. They might even metastasize to distant places through cerebrospinal fluid, blood, lymph, and other means. Therefore, even if surgery is used to remove a single lesion, other parts of the body may still demonstrate metastatic lesions. Hence, the treatment approach for this is comprehensive.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
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Glioma Symptoms

The symptoms of glioma are numerous, and it is essential to make judgments based on the situation. The most common clinical manifestations are headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms may persist for a relatively long period and are relatively mild, not immediately noticeable at the time. Additionally, some patients may experience a decline in cognitive function, colloquially described as becoming less intelligent. This is especially common in gliomas of the frontal lobe. If the glioma is located in the occipital lobe, it often causes visual disturbances, such as blurred vision and visual field defects. In cases of temporal lobe gliomas, frequent seizures and impaired limb mobility may occur. For cerebellar gliomas, symptoms can include a decline in cognitive function and ataxia, among others.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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Glioma Causes

Gliomas are common intracranial primary tumors, with astrocytoma being the most prevalent, followed by oligodendroglioma, medulloblastoma, glioblastoma, ependymoma, etc. The causes of gliomas are very complex and are still unclear to this day. The prevailing view is that the development of gliomas results from the combined effects of internal carcinogenic genes and external carcinogenic factors. Changes in carcinogenic genes include gene mutation deletions, proto-oncogene activation, and so on. External factors mainly include radiation from X-rays, smoking, drinking, and some toxic and harmful foods and medications, etc.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How is glioma graded?

According to the characteristics of pathology, gliomas are divided into grades one to four. Grade one is a low-grade malignancy, more benign tumor, accounting for about 5%, with a relatively high probability of successful surgical outcomes. Grade two accounts for about 35%, and after comprehensive treatment including surgery, the survival rate can reach five to ten years, or even longer. Grade three usually develops from grade two, with relatively poor prognosis, and the average survival period is about two years. Grade four, the most malignant glioma, also known as glioblastoma, accounts for about 30%-40%, with an average survival period of less than one year, and very poor outcomes.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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What are the symptoms of glioma?

Patients with gliomas often exhibit a range of symptoms including significant headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. As the tumor grows, it typically leads to an evident increase in intracranial pressure. Besides the original symptoms, some patients may also experience marked declines in vision, visual field deficits, and papilledema. The growth of the tumor inevitably compresses surrounding tissues, nerves, and blood vessels, leading to a variety of symptoms of neurological damage, such as noticeable hemiplegia, aphasia, and even abnormal sensations in one side of the body, characterized by numbness, pain, and a pins-and-needles sensation.