The astrocytoma is a brain tumor, which originates from particular cells called astrocytes .
Astrocytes are a group of glia cells, therefore astrocytomas belong to the category of gliomas, ie the neoplasms of the brain that derive from a genetic alteration of glia cells.
An astrocytoma can be benign - hence slow-growing and with poor infiltrative power - or malignant - that is, very fast growth and high infiltration power.
Whether astrocytomas are benign or malignant, the most indicated treatment is surgery to remove the tumor mass, followed by a more or less long cycle of radiotherapy .
It is only when the tumors are formed in areas inaccessible to the hands of the surgeon that surgery is renounced and only radiotherapy is used (accompanied, in the most serious cases, by chemotherapy ).
The benefits of surgery and radiation therapy depend largely on the degree (or growth power) of astrocytoma. Let's see how:
- For grade I astrocytomas or pilocytic astrocytomas, surgical removal can completely cure the tumor. Even partial removal, followed by radiotherapy, can even be of great help.
- For grade II astrocytomas or low-grade diffuse astrocytomas, surgery and radiation therapy mean that, 5 years after treatment, more than 70% of patients are still alive. Without treatment, the 5-year survival rate from the diagnosis drops to 34%.
- For grade III astrocytomas or anaplastic astrocytomas, the surgical removal associated with radiotherapy and, when necessary, chemotherapy gives the hope of surviving 23.6% of patients for another 5 years.
Without treatment, death usually occurs after just 18 months.
- For grade IV astrocytomas or multiform glioblastomas, surgical excision and radiotherapy extend the average life expectancy by 17 weeks (which is the time frame in which death occurs without treatment) to 37 weeks. Only 6 people out of 100 survive for another 5 years.
Patients who can only undergo radiation therapy live on average for another 30 weeks.
