Astrocytoma overview
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Astrocytoma Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Study |
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Astrocytoma overview On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Astrocytoma overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Astrocytomas are primary intracranial tumors derived from astrocytes cells of the brain. They may arise in the cerebral hemispheres, in the posterior fossa, in the optic nerve, and rarely, the spinal cord.
Astrocytomas are a type of neoplasm of the brain. They originate in a particular kind of glial-cells, star-shaped brain cells in the cerebrum called astrocytes. This type of tumor does not usually spread outside the brain and spinal cord and it does not usually affect other organs. Astrocytomas are the most common glioma and can occur in most parts of the brain and occasionally in the spinal cord.
Classification
There are two broad classes of classification identified within astrocytomas, based on histology, as to whether the zones of infiltration of cancer cells are narrow or diffuse.