Glioma is the most frequently detected tumor formation. If we talk about brain cancer, then gliomas account for about 60% of all cases. In childhood, gliomas of the brain take the second place in prevalence among all oncological pathologies.
They can localize both in the brain or its trunk, and affect the optic nerve. The development of benign pathology occurs slowly, with the gradual destruction of the tissues of the white and gray matter of not only the brain, but also the spinal cord, as well as the peripheral nerves, pituitary gland and gastric walls.
Many are interested in life expectancy with glioma of the brain. This will be discussed below.
Description and stages
Glioma is a formation in the brain that occurs as a result of the active spread of glial cells that perform auxiliary functions in the nervous system. A neoplasm can be either benign or malignant. In the first case, the growth of formation proceeds slowly. But the development of a malignant tumor is rapid.
The most common single gliomas that occur in the white and gray matter of the spinal cord or brain are much less common in cases of damage to the pituitary gland, lungs, tongue, and nose. The size of the tumor can be different and reach the volume of a large apple. The neoplasm is usually round in shape and can progress over several years without malignancy.
There are several stages of the development of the disease:
1. On the first, benign gliomas show slow growth.
2. The second stage is also characterized by a slow growth of education, but a tendency to malignancy appears.
3. On the third, there is a transformation into a malignant tumor.
4. The fourth stage is accompanied by a rapid course and metastasis.
Causes, symptoms, diagnosis of glioma
Genetic factor is the most common cause of glioma in the brain. In addition, the appearance of a tumor is affected by radiation exposure, toxic effects, viral disease and severe skull trauma. Sometimes a neoplasm can transform into a glioma. The most susceptible to the appearance of such tumors are men older than 40 years.
The main symptoms at the initial stage of glioma development are:
1. Regular pain in the head of a high degree of intensity.
2. Nausea and vomiting.
3. Convulsive syndrome.
4. Visual impairment, speech and touch.
5. Coordination violations.
6. Epileptic seizures.
7. The deterioration of thinking and memory.
Diagnostic measures should begin with a visit to a neurologist. Typically, a patient visits a doctor complaining of severe headache. The specialist prescribes electromyography and ultrasound. Next, the patient should undergo an MRI or CT scan.
Below we consider the treatment of glioma of the brain.
Treatment
Cancer specialists use several methods to eliminate gliomas in the brain, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. If the tumor is operable, then this treatment option is considered by the surgeons as the main one. If there is no possibility of surgical intervention, then other therapeutic methods are used.
Radiosurgery is another treatment option in which radiation occurs at different angles so that healthy tissues are not affected. Radiosurgery is performed using a gamma and cyber knife, as well as novalis. Irradiation is performed under the control of MRI or CT. Anesthesia is not required.
What is the prognosis for glioma of the brain?
In most cases, it is not possible to completely cure glioma, therefore, the prognosis of patient survival is poor. With partial removal of the tumor, a quick relapse occurs. If education was found at the last stage, then mortality within one year reaches 50%. When gliomas are detected at the initial stage, the survival prognosis is five years. Life expectancy increases depending on the success of the treatment and the age of the patient.
Brainstem glioma: description and symptoms
The diffuse glioma arising in the brain stem is an oncological formation that shows infiltrative growth when tumor cells infect neighboring healthy tissues, gradually replacing them. This greatly complicates the identification of pathological cells during surgery.
The initial symptoms of glioma are similar to signs of a neurological disorder, which leads to an incorrect diagnosis and, accordingly, incorrect treatment. In addition, at the first stage of development of the glioma of the brain stem is almost asymptomatic.
However, there are some signs that you need to pay attention to. These include:
1. Permanent pain in the head, which can not be eliminated medically.
2. Nausea.
3. Speech impairment.
4. Epileptic seizures.
5. Violation of the function of memory, vision and thinking.
In the future, starting from the second stage of development, changes in human behavior occur, he becomes aggressive and irritated, demonstrates psycho-emotional instability. Without treatment, the symptoms become more pronounced and the following symptoms are observed:
1. Increased intracranial pressure.
2. Visual, auditory and taste hallucinations.
3. Vomiting.
4. Convulsive syndrome, dizziness, coordination disorders.
But sometimes the symptoms of cerebral glioma intensify sharply. The forecast in this case is not very favorable. This indicates a rapid progression of the disease.
Diagnosis and prediction
At the initial stage of diagnosis, a specialist collects a patient's history. The presence of a genetic predisposition to cancer is revealed. Further, an examination is carried out to detect hearing impairment, vision, reflexes and coordination.
MRI is considered the most effective method for diagnosing glioma of the brain stem. This diagnostic method allows you to detect the presence of a tumor even of a small size. MRI makes it possible to visualize it from different angles. The image allows you to most accurately localize the formation and its size.
In order to study in detail the tumor tissue and the degree of its malignancy, a stereotactic biopsy is performed, which is a neurosurgical operation. This method is used in cases where the tumor is in a difficult place. The information obtained during the operation allows us to decide whether there is a need for surgical intervention or whether conservative treatment can be dispensed with.
The prognosis of life of patients with glioma of the brain stem depends on the stage at which the pathology was detected. If a tumor is detected in the first stage, the prognosis is favorable. With the progression of the disease, the survival rate decreases.
If the tumor is characterized by a high level of malignancy, then even with effective treatment, relapse occurs and life expectancy is reduced by several years.
To detect glioma of the brain stem at an early stage of its progression, doctors recommend regular screening. If you find the above symptoms, you should consult a doctor. This will help to timely identify pathology and stop the progression of the disease.
Treatment
Glioma can only be completely removed at the first stage of development. In the future, the pathology penetrates into adjacent tissues and affects healthy cells, which greatly complicates its removal.
Today, treatment of glioma of the brain stem involves the use of the following methods:
1. Surgery. This method is not possible in all cases, since the tumor may be in an inaccessible place. In addition, the operation is dangerous to human health and life, therefore, it is carried out only in specialized clinics.
2. Radiation therapy. X-ray irradiation allows you to affect the tumor from different angles, which minimizes the effect on healthy tissue. This therapeutic method can reduce the rate of tumor progression and reduce the severity of symptoms.
3. Chemotherapy.
4. Symptomatic treatment. It is made to alleviate the condition of the patient.
The most effective treatment is an integrated approach. However, in the case of children, the use of several methods of therapy is unacceptable. When prescribing treatment, a specialist consults with parents, choosing the optimal method with a minimum of possible side effects.
Optic neoplasm: causes
Glioma is a neoplasm that can affect any area of the optic nerve. The progression of the pathology can even reach the area of the skull. The tumor is intraorbital, that is, located within the orbit, and intracranial, that is, localized in the cranial region of the optic nerve. The glioma of chiasm, which is located in the area of the visual intersection, is also distinguished. The latter is the most dangerous variant of the tumor that affects the optic nerve, since most often the result is a fatal outcome.
To date, it has not been possible to accurately establish the causes of the development of optic glioma. However, experts note that it often accompanies neurofibromatosis of the first type, which, in turn, begins with gliomatosis.
Each person, regardless of age and gender, can be affected by glioma of the optic nerve. Often, the pathology is diagnosed in children.
Symptoms
At the initial stage of development, glioma passes in a latent form, which greatly complicates its diagnosis. The first signs of a disease localized in the optic nerve is a sharp deterioration in vision. This symptom is often ignored, especially in the case of young children. With the progression of the pathology, scotomas appear, which also provoke visual impairment, up to its complete loss.
As the tumor progresses, exophthalmos appear in the optic nerve, and the eyeball shifts due to the formation of cysts in the tumor and its active growth. It is this symptom that makes parents take the child to the doctor. Visually exophthalmos is manifested by the lack of mobility of the eyeball. The eyelid does not close to the end, which leads to an overdry of the cornea, and subsequently to keratin and sores. Without qualified help, a glioma that occurs in the optic nerve will lead to thinning of the cornea and complete loss of the eye.
Diagnostics
The main indicators that a specialist focuses on when making a diagnosis are the results of clinical studies, eye tests, X-ray and computed tomography data. At the initial stage, the examination is carried out by an ophthalmologist. It determines the degree of vision loss and the presence of cattle in the orbits.
Tissue Biopsy
To confirm the diagnosis of "glioma in the optic nerve", a biopsy of the affected tissues is performed for histological examination. Ophthalmoscopy is considered an obligatory step in the diagnosis of the disease, however, at the initial stage of the development of pathology, this procedure may not reveal changes in the eye. When the disease begins to progress, it is ophthalmoscopy that can determine the presence of deviations characteristic of atrophy of the optic nerve of the secondary type, as well as thrombosis of the central vein located in the retina. In the intracranial variety of glioma, the development of primary optic atrophy of the primary type with its accompanying symptoms is most likely.
Treatment and prognosis
Glioma affecting the optic nerve can be treated with radiation therapy. This helps not only to stop the development of the tumor, but also to improve vision, provided that pathology is detected in the early stages. If vision is rapidly deteriorating against the backdrop of an expanding education, specialists conduct emergency surgery.
Surgery for gliomas is carried out under the supervision of ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists. The complexity of the intervention depends on the degree of damage to the eye. Small gliomas are eliminated through orbitotomy, which involves the removal of the nerve site where the tumor was detected.
Eyeball Enucleation
It is performed if the tumor has spread to the scleral ring. The most optimal is enucleation with the formation of support for further prosthetics of the eye.
Complete loss of vision
If the patient turns to specialists in the late stages of glioma development, then in a large number of cases complete loss of vision occurs. In the treatment of the intraorbital type of glioma, preservation of the eye is considered a key point. With proper treatment, the survival prognosis is favorable. Intracranial gliomas can lead to complete loss of vision, even with the right treatment. It all depends on the stage at which the tumor was detected and the rate of its development.
If symptoms are found that indicate the presence of glioma, you should immediately contact a specialist and undergo a detailed examination. Timely revealed disease is a key moment on the path to recovery or successful suppression of the development of pathology.
What is the lifespan for glioma?
The prognosis is most often unfavorable, as the disease quickly transforms into glioblastoma, the median survival rate in which even at the present stage is no more than 12 months.