Is a glioma benign or malignant?

Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 22, 2024
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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 Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Clinical manifestations of glioma

For patients with glioma, as it is a malignant tumor with a rapid growth rate, they may exhibit severe symptoms at the early stage of the disease, including severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, poor mental state, poor sleep quality at night, frequent insomnia and nightmares, and easy waking up. As the tumor increases in size, it often causes an increase in intracranial pressure. In severe cases, this may lead to optic disc edema, decreased vision, and visual field defects. Additionally, some patients may experience impairment in motor functions, manifesting as hemiplegia, and in some cases, aphasia. It is advised to undergo surgery in the early stages, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Is glioma malignant?

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 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 Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Causes of Glioma

Currently, there is no consensus on the specific causes of brain gliomas. Most scholars believe they result from a combination of congenital genetic factors and acquired factors. In the case of congenital factors, by tracing the medical history of patients with gliomas, it can be found that there is a tendency for a higher concentration of glioma cases among family members. Acquired factors are mostly seen in severe cranial trauma, extensive gliocyte proliferation, or due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, or long-term damage from highly polluted radiation, which may easily trigger the development of gliomas.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
50sec home-news-image

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.