Astrocytoma
An astrocytoma is a brain tumour that is part of a larger group of brain tumours called gliomas. About one in three brain tumours diagnosed in the UK are astrocytomas, making them common primary brain tumours. These tumours affect adults and children and are often treated by neurosurgery followed by radiotherapy and sometimes chemotherapy.
Short summary
Astrocytomas are primary brain tumours, which are formed in the brain instead of spreading there. These tumours can be grade 1, grade, 2, grade 3 or grade 4.
Symptoms of astrocytoma can include headaches, changes in vision, difficulty speaking and difficulty thinking or remembering.
Treatment can differ from person to person, but could involve neurosurgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of these.
On this page, we’ll cover:
- What is an astrocytoma?
- Types of astrocytoma
- What are the astrocytoma symptoms?
- Astrocytoma treatment
- What causes astrocytomas?
- How long can I live with an astrocytoma?
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What is an astrocytoma?
Astrocytoma is a common type of primary brain tumour, which means it starts in the brain instead of spreading there. It is part of a larger group of brain tumours called gliomas.
Astrocytomas, like other gliomas, originate from what are called stem cells. These are undeveloped and will eventually develop in to one of the different types of brain cells, such as astroctyes.
Astrocytes are brain cells that connect and support nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. These are the cells that give astrocytomas their name.
As astrocytes are found throughout the brain, astrocytomas can occur in many different areas of the brain.
There are different types of astrocytoma that develop because of gene mutations. And, detecting these mutations with biomarker testing is now essential for diagnosis and evaluating which treatments will be used for people who are diagnosed with an astrocytoma.
Types of astrocytoma
Some astrocytoma types are:
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They are:
- slow growing, sometimes very slow growing
- relatively contained (have well-defined edges), which can make it easier to remove completely
- unlikely to spread to other parts of the brain
- unlikely to return after being surgically removed
- know to typically carry a mutation in the BRAF gene.
They’re most often found in children and young adults under the age of 20 and are very rare in adults over 50 years. They’re equally common in males and females.
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These are:
- slow growing
- diffuse (don’t have well-defined edges), which can make it more difficult to remove completely
- can sometimes return following treatment (known as a recurrence), as a grade 3 tumour.
They occur most often in adults between the ages of 20 and 45. They’re more common in males than females.
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They are:
- fast growing
- often referred to as malignant or cancerous
- often come back following treatment (known as a recurrence) in a more advanced form.
Grade 3 astrocytomas are a type of high grade glioma. They’re more common in adults between the ages of 30 and 70 and are more common in males.
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Grade 4 astrocytomas are a type of high grade glioma. These are the most aggressive of the different types of astrocytoma.
In the past, grade 4 astrocytomas were often called glioblastomas. And, you may still hear them called glioblastoma, glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM for short. But, WHO now only classify IDH-wildtype tumours as glioblastomas.
What are the astrocytoma symptoms?
As these tumours grow from cells that are vital in processing information in the brain, they can disrupt the function of whichever area of the brain they are growing in.
Some astrocytomas grow in the cerebellum, which controls balance. They can also occur in the optic pathways, which are involved in sight.
So, symptoms can be very different between people affected by these tumours. That being said, common astrocytoma symptoms could include:
- Headaches
- Difficulty speaking
- Change in vision, like double vision or blurriness
- Cognitive difficulties, like trouble thinking or remembering
- Seizures (epilepsy)
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Astrocytoma treatment
The treatment for a brain tumour depends on its grade, size and location. So, there’s no single astrocytoma treatment.
Generally the first treatment is neurosurgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. This may be followed by radiotherapy and sometimes chemotherapy.
This may differ in children, who may be given chemotherapy rather than surgery or radiotherapy. And, people with pilocytic astrocytomas might be put on active monitoring (sometimes called watch and wait) before being given surgery.
Find out more about astrocytoma treatment
What causes astrocytomas?
As with most brain tumours, we’re not entirely sure what causes these tumours. But, we do understand some of the risk factors involved.
It’s important to know that there is nothing you could have done, or avoided doing, that would have caused you or somebody you know to develop a brain tumour.
There are some genetic conditions that make people more likely to develop brain tumours. An example is neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). This is a genetic condition you are born with that can cause tumours to grow along the nerves and in the brain.
Risk factors for brain tumours
How long can I live with an astrocytoma?
This is impossible to answer for certain. We can give averages, but everybody is different. It will depend on so many factors – not only your tumour grade, size and location, but also your general health, your individual body chemistry, and how you respond to treatment.
That being said, we are able to give a rough average of life expectancy on our prognosis page, linked below.
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Recommended reading
Alfie’s story
Three years ago, Alfie had a grade 1 pilocytic astrocytoma completely removed. Now he shares his experiences with fatigue and how he manages day to day.
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