How is glioma graded?

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 02, 2024
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According to the characteristics of pathology, gliomas are divided into grades one to four. Grade one is a low-grade malignancy, more benign tumor, accounting for about 5%, with a relatively high probability of successful surgical outcomes. Grade two accounts for about 35%, and after comprehensive treatment including surgery, the survival rate can reach five to ten years, or even longer. Grade three usually develops from grade two, with relatively poor prognosis, and the average survival period is about two years. Grade four, the most malignant glioma, also known as glioblastoma, accounts for about 30%-40%, with an average survival period of less than one year, and very poor outcomes.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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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.

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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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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 Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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Glioma causes

In clinical practice, the etiology of gliomas is not very clear. It is not as straightforward as how smoking can easily lead to lung cancer or how cirrhosis can easily lead to liver cancer; many factors are speculative. For example, the most common theory in clinical practice involves genetics. Any form of genetic mutation or chromosomal mutation can induce the development of a glioma. For instance, excessive radiation exposure and drug abuse, and even maternal-fetal transmission or a genetic predisposition, could cause chromosomal abnormalities in patients, potentially leading to the formation of gliomas. However, the most fundamental cause has not yet been clearly identified.

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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.