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 Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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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.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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Late-stage symptoms of glioma

The continuous growth of gliomas or the occurrence of tumor stroke hemorrhages can lead to very high intracranial pressure in patients in the late stages. This results in severe headaches with persistent attacks, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Projectile vomiting is a typical manifestation of increased intracranial pressure. Patients may experience changes in consciousness, such as drowsiness, stupor, and coma. As the condition progresses to brain herniation, patients can fall into a deep coma, with either bilateral or unilateral pupil dilation and loss of light reflex. Vital signs become unstable, ultimately leading to death due to heart and respiratory arrest caused by the brain herniation.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How is glioma graded?

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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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.

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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.