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Gliomas are neoplasms that arise from the glial cells of the brain and spine. These are not common neoplasms, but among the neoplasms found inside the skull, gliomas constitute as much as 70%. Gliomas attack children much more often than adults. Malignant glioma of the brain can be very dangerous, so it is worth knowing its symptoms, how to treat it and what is its prognosis.
Glial cells and neurons are the basic components of the nervous tissue. They perform various functions – from nutritional, through protective, to building myelin sheaths around the axons of neurons. Unlike neurons, glia retains the ability to divide cells. This is why there is a risk that the glial cells will develop into a tumor called glioma.
Gliomas are not a common type of cancer. In terms of mortality due to neoplastic diseases in Poland, they are in the 9th place in men and only in the 13th place in women. The situation is slightly different for children. In the brains of young people, glial cells divide much more intensively, which is why the risk of developing glioma is higher in them than in adults. As a result, gliomas are the second most common childhood cancer after leukemia.
Glioblastoma – symptoms
The symptoms of brain glioma depend primarily on the part of the organ in which the tumor is located and how large the mass is.
There are general symptoms of glioblastoma, which appear almost every time the tumor is massive enough to increase intracranial pressure. These are: headache and dizziness, nausea and vomiting, lack of concentration, memory impairment and dementia, and sometimes epileptic episodes.
The more specific symptoms of brain glioma concern individual senses. Hearing and speech disorders, vision abnormalities, various sensory disturbances or paresis may occur. Therefore, any type of neurological symptom combined with the above-mentioned general symptoms should cause anxiety.
Do you experience the above symptoms? Be sure to contact your doctor. Properly early diagnosis significantly increases the chance of complete elimination of the disease. Schedule an online teleconsultation with a neurologist at haloDoctor.pl.
Glioblastoma multiforme
Brain gliomas are classified in several different ways. The most basic criteria are the location and the degree of malignancy. A more complex method of classification is the type of glia from which the tumor originates.
Glioblastoma multiforme is a cancer of the glial stellate. This is the most common type of glioma, accounting for half of the cases of this cancer. It is characterized by high malignancy (IV – the highest grade). Glioblastoma is aggressive – it grows quickly and spreads to surrounding parts of the brain. It usually occurs in the temporal and frontal lobes. When it occurs in the temporal lobe, the patient may have depression and anxiety states, as well as memory disorders. In turn, glioblastoma in the frontal lobe causes aggression and an increase in libido.
Also read: Benign brain tumors – what to look for
Glioblastoma – treatment
In the treatment of glioblastoma, surgical removal of the tumor is most often used first. Often, however, due to the location in the vicinity of key parts of the brain, excision is completely impossible or the glioma cannot be completely removed. Thus, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used as supportive treatments. Sometimes virotherapy, immunotherapy and gene therapies are also used. The use of THC has also shown good results in research, but this therapy requires further research.
Glioblastoma – prognosis
In the case of glioblastoma, the prognosis depends mainly on the degree of malignancy we are dealing with. Overall stats aren’t good; Only half of patients survive the first year after diagnosis of the disease. Patients with stage IV glioma – such as glioblastoma multiforme or medulloblastoma – usually do not survive for 12 months. The lower the grade, the better the prognosis. Patients with stage I glioma – for example, hair cell astrocytoma – are 17 times more likely to survive. It is estimated that as many as 10% are alive 47 years after the diagnosis. sick.
Appropriate diagnostics is extremely important in the case of neurological diseases. At the MRI Diagnostyka facility in Warsaw, you will perform an MRI of the head, which will allow you to detect any abnormalities.
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