Anaplastic Astrocytoma

What is Anaplastic Astrocytoma?

The Anaplastic astrocytoma is defined as an uncommon cancerous tumour in the brain. These tumours form from several brain cells that are shaped as a star and are known as astrocytes. Cells like astrocytes develop the tissue that nears and shields other nerve cells that are present in the spinal cord and the brain. Together, all these cells are called glial cells, and the glial tissue is the tissue that they develop. Astrocytomas are one of the tumors that come from glial tissues and known as gliomas. Anaplastic astrocytoma is a kind of brain cancer. This disease comes in the class of high-grade gliomas that are persistently analogous gliomas and that take an improper clinical prediction. This disease also lacks vascular multiplication.

The tumours that are caused in this disease, comprise of cells that are both normal and abnormal. The two kind of astrocytomas are; low-grade astrocytomas and high-grade astrocytomas. The astrocytomas that have a tendency to grow slow are low-grade astrocytomas, whereas the ones which have a tendency to grow at a high pace are high-grade astrocytomas.

Symptoms

Some major symptoms of this disease are right to follow:

  • Anomalies associated with touch.
  • Nausea.
  • Seizures.
  • Problems with the memory.
  • Facing difficulty while walking.
  • Inability to express yourself.
  • Personality changes.

 

Causes

There are no causes exactly known of anaplastic astrocytoma. Still, a few toxins in the environment include:

  • HIV infection.
  • Excess of cigarette smoking.
  • Radiation to the head is also associated with the disorder of the brain.

 

Risks

The only apparent risk of this disease may be the abnormal functioning of the brain. The working of the brain might be hampered because of this disorder as a consequence of which, the tumour might form.

Prevention

To prevent this disease, there are no rules or guidelines to follow, because the causes of anaplastic astrocytoma are still not precisely found out.

How is it diagnosed?

Some laboratory tests may help well to diagnose the disease.

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How is it treated?

The options of treatment are contingent upon size and type of the disorder and to what extent it has spread. 

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  • Surgery

    Additional surgery can treat the re-growth of tumour. Any different form of radiation, a chemotherapy drug or a group of some drugs are all the new ways of treatment of this disease. The purpose of radiation therapy is to lengthen the survival and has become an accepted component of treatment.

  • Temozolomide

    It is also known as an oral chemotherapy drug to effectively treat the anaplastic astrocytoma. Although, the role of it as a collateral of radiation therapy, has not still been revealed.

When do I contact the doctor?

You should immediately contact a doctor, if you begin to experience symptoms such as seizure, nausea, and trouble walking. All these symptoms will be treated just right with the help of our medical expertise at Medanta.

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How does Medanta provide care?

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