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Glioma
Glioma Symptoms
For patients with glioma, they often exhibit certain degrees of headache and dizziness, with headaches typically located bilaterally in the frontal or temporal regions. The nature of the pain is relatively sharp, manifesting as intermittent attacks that progressively worsen over time. Long-standing gliomas easily induce a notable increase in intracranial pressure, presenting with severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and even a decrease in vision or visual field defects. When the glioma is located in the parietal lobe and affects important motor function areas, it can lead to unilateral or bilateral limb weakness, numbness, pain, and possibly even trigger hemiplegia.
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.
Principles of Treatment for Glioma
For patients with glioma, the primary treatment method is still to surgically remove the tumor, followed by postoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other related treatments. The main treatment principle is to detect, diagnose, and treat early. During surgery, the tumor should be removed as completely as possible, and it is advisable to receive postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy early to effectively consolidate the surgical treatment effects. This helps to kill tumor cells to the greatest extent, slow down the probability and timing of tumor recurrence, and extend the patient's lifespan as much as possible. Therefore, for patients with glioma, it is recommended to choose to seek surgical treatment at well-known, top-tier hospitals locally.
The etiology of glioma
At present, there is no definitive conclusion regarding the specific causes of glioma. Clinically, it is generally considered the result of a combination of congenital genetic factors and acquired environmental factors. Usually, it is believed that there is a significant familial aggregation tendency in the family medical history of patients with gliomas, with a higher incidence of gliomas among family members. Additionally, acquired factors, such as severe cranial trauma followed by extensive proliferation of neuroglial cells, may induce incidents. Furthermore, severe intracranial infections, including unhealthy lifestyles, poor living environments, and the influence of radioactive materials, could potentially lead to the occurrence of gliomas.
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.
Gliomas grow where?
Glioma is a stubborn malignant tumor of the central nervous system that originates from neuroglial cells. Therefore, gliomas can occur anywhere there are neuroglial cells. Clinically, based on the common sites of the tumors, gliomas can be divided into supratentorial gliomas, which are mostly found in the cerebral hemispheres, frontal lobes, temporal lobes, and parietal lobes, and are less common in the occipital lobes. There are also infratentorial gliomas primarily in the cerebellum. Additionally, a few gliomas are found in the brainstem and spinal cord.
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.
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.
Treatment of brain glioma
For patients with brain gliomas, it is recommended that they visit a local hospital as soon as possible in the early stages of the disease. A physician with extensive surgical experience should help assess the current situation through cranial CT, cranial MRI, and enhanced cranial MRI scans, to determine the location, scope, and range of edema of the glioma, as well as its proximity to surrounding blood vessels and nerves, and to establish a personalized surgical treatment plan. Through surgery, the glioma in the brain should be removed as completely as possible. After surgical treatment, most patients can achieve satisfactory outcomes. However, since gliomas are malignant tumors, it is necessary to follow up surgery with early radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
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.