Oligodendroglioma surgery
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Oligodendroglioma Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Oligodendroglioma surgery On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Oligodendroglioma surgery |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Oligodendroglioma surgery |
Overview
Because of their diffusely infiltrating nature, oligodendrogliomas cannot be completely resected and are not curable by surgical excision. If the tumor mass compresses adjacent brain structures, a neurosurgeon will typically remove as much of the tumor as he or she can without damaging other critical, healthy brain structures. Surgery may be followed up by chemotherapy, radiation, or a mix of both. Oligodendrogliomas, like all other infiltrating gliomas, have a very high (almost uniform) rate of recurrence and gradually increase in grade over time. Recurrent tumors are generally treated with more aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recently, stereotactic surgery has proven successful in treating small tumors that have been diagnosed early.