HWN Suggests

My Astrocytoma Experience, a Brain Tumor

I received my diagnosis back in December 2021 and wish I had been told never to google the word Astrocytoma. I’ve clicked on every link, read every science paper, and seen every survivability graph. I read, and I read, and I read. The vast majority was shockingly confusing. Most countries never treat glioma Astrocytoma. That blew my mind. Imagine your doctor saying, “The grade for your diagnosis is so small, we’re too afraid to try to remove it. We’re just going to let it grow, and we’ll try surgery if it advances into something more deadly.” Imagine some countries giving the surgery and finding some people still passed away early, while others have lived for 40+ years. Imagine finding out…

read full article

Articles of Interest

Update for astrocytomas: medical and surgical management considerations

As astrocytes are the most plentiful cell in the human central nervous system (CNS), it is not entirely surprising that astrocytomas are the most common form of primary malignant brain tumors in both adults and children. Lacking the ability to produce electrical depolarization, astrocytes are often described as star-shaped glial cells that support the function of neurons. Astrocytes have a plethora of roles in the CNS, including blood-brain barrier (BBB) development and maintenance, water and ion regulation, influencing neuronal synaptogenesis, and stimulating immunological response. The exact function and morphology of the astrocyte may be primarily determined by the spatial domain the cell occupies within the brain and the surrounding population of astrocytes. The clinical presentation of astrocytoma symptoms is similar to most brain tumors with both focal and generalized neurologic signs. Focal symptoms include weakness, numbness, seizures, and aphasia, while generalized symptoms due to edema and increased intracranial pressure can cause headaches, vision deficits, and emesis. Diffuse headaches present at diagnosis in 50% of patients, with seizures observed in 20–40% of patients.

Astrocytoma survivor: I feel lucky

How often does a brain tumor save your life? In Kellilyn Monar’s case, it may have done just that. She’d planned to be at the Route 91 Music Harvest Festival in her hometown of Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017. But a brain tumor diagnosis interrupted those plans.

Astrocytoma: A Hormone-Sensitive Tumor?

Astrocytomas and, in particular, their most severe form, glioblastoma, are the most aggressive primary brain tumors and those with the poorest vital prognosis. Standard treatment only slightly improves patient survival. Therefore, new therapies are needed. Very few risk factors have been clearly identified but many epidemiological studies have reported a higher incidence in women than men with a sex ratio of 1:4. Based on these observations, it has been proposed that the neurosteroids and especially the estrogens found in higher concentrations in women’s brains could, in part, explain this difference. Estrogens can bind to nuclear or membrane receptors and potentially stimulate many different interconnected signaling pathways.

I Wasn’t Ready to Think About My Fertility—Then I Got Brain Cancer

After months of brain fog, memory problems, and word-finding issues I’d assumed were related to the stress of grad school, an MRI revealed a tumor in my brain—anaplastic astrocytoma grade 3, to be exact, in the same class as highly terminal glioblastoma. One craniotomy, an ICU stay, and a pathology report later, I found myself staring blankly as a doctor explained that the chemo I needed would likely destroy my chance of getting pregnant someday, should I ever want to do so.

Once dismissed, these cells in the brain have the spotlight in the neuroscience world

Several glial cells are involved in both the brain's immune response and inflammation, though scientists are still trying to figure out how the system works. And even immune cells outside the brain can contribute to neurological problems. Freya Shepherd, a graduate student at Cardiff University, described how the behavior of mice changed when her team eliminated cells called Tregs, which usually keep the immune system from overreacting.

The diagnosis & plan: grade 2 astrocytoma, radiation & temozolomide

I still have a grade 2 astrocytoma (a malignant brain tumor aka brain cancer). This is still technically slow growing. This is great news, however if the last few months tell us anything, despite pathology and all the science my tumor is not behaving like other grade 2 astrocytomas. This is what continues to worry us but we take the positive and move forward.

What is astrocytoma, and how is it different from glioblastoma?

Until recently, glioblastoma was considered a Grade 4 astrocytoma brain tumor—the most aggressive astrocytoma. Today, however, glioblastoma and astrocytoma are classified based on the presence or absence of a mutation in an enzyme called isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH).

Resources

American Association of Neurological Surgeons

The clinical presentation of astrocytomas depends much more on their location within the brain, rather than their biologic characteristics. There are regions of the brain that can accommodate very large tumors before they become symptomatic (for example, the regions in the forehead), while there are other locations where even a small tumor can cause problems early on, like limb weakness or difficulty with speech or vision. Generally, low grade astrocytomas tend to be of bigger size before they become symptomatic, as compared to more aggressive, higher grade astrocytomas. This is because lower grade tumors tend to displace the brain rather than destroying it, and also because they are associated with less brain swelling than malignant ones.

American Brain Tumor Association

Astrocytomas are tumors that arise from astrocytes—star-shaped cells that make up the “glue-like” or supportive tissue of the brain. Many astrocytomas are slow growing and tend to invade surrounding tissues. These tumors are called “diffuse” because it is difficult to tell where the tumor begins and ends. Other kinds of astrocytomas (e.g., pilocytic astrocytoma) are more circumscribed, meaning that there is a sharper border between the tumor and surrounding brain.