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 Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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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.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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Is glioma cancer?

Gliomas are the most common type of malignant tumor within the skull, and they are also a form of cancer. Cancer is a very broad term essentially describing a process where some cells proliferate abnormally and differentiate without dying, and gliomas proliferate in the same way. To give an analogy, think of a bunch of villains: if there are heroes to suppress and resolve these villains, then generally, people would not develop tumors. However, if this group of villains gradually becomes stronger and defeats the heroes, then these villains gather within the body, forming a tumor. The same principle applies to the formation of cancer. Therefore, for such cases, it is crucial to detect cancer early and begin the appropriate treatment. Early treatment can have some very beneficial effects on the prognosis for the patient.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
55sec home-news-image

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 Guo Zhi Fei
Neurosurgery
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Glioma is a type of disease

Glioma is a very common malignant tumor in the brain, with malignancy levels divided into grades I, II, III, and IV. Grade I has the lowest malignancy, close to benign, and patients have a good prognosis after complete surgical removal. Grade IV gliomas have the highest malignancy and are also known as glioblastomas. These tumors do not have clear boundaries, making complete surgical removal impossible, and they are highly prone to recur after surgery, leading to poor prognosis. Even with the most advanced treatments, such as surgery combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and gene therapy, the average survival time is only 12-14 months, and without treatment, the average survival time is only four months.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Early symptoms of glioma

For patients with glioma, in the early stages of the disease, symptoms often manifest as mild headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The symptoms are usually mild and tolerable for patients, and most patients do not pay enough attention, which can easily lead to missed and misdiagnosis. However, as the tumor volume increases, the patient's symptoms of headache, dizziness, and other discomforts gradually worsen, and may even show episodic outbreaks and a persistent worsening state. In addition to headaches and dizziness, some patients also exhibit significant motor dysfunction, exhibiting symptoms such as hemiplegia and aphasia. Patients with severe conditions may even experience widespread intracranial pressure increase, and life-threatening conditions due to the induction of brain herniation.