Common knowledge about glioma

Although the living standards have improved now, people's physical health is getting worse and worse. In recent years, the incidence of glioma tumors has been getting higher and higher, which endangers the physical and mental health of patients all the time. What exactly is glioma? Let me introduce you to some common knowledge about glioma.

Gliomas (Giiomas), also known as gliomas, or gliomas for short, are tumors that occur in the neuroectoderm, so they are also called neuroectodermal tumors or neuroepithelial tumors. Tumors originate from neural interstitial cells, namely, glial cells, ependyma, choroid plexus epithelium, and neural parenchymal cells, namely, neurons. Most tumors originate from different types of glial cells, but based on their histological origins and similar biological characteristics, various tumors that occur in the neuroectoderm are generally called gliomas.

The cause of glioma is still unclear. The onset of glioma is related to genetic factors, viral and bacterial infections, abnormalities of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and DNA mismatch repair genes, but there is no clear conclusion yet.

Most gliomas develop slowly, and the time from the onset of symptoms to the time of medical treatment is generally weeks to months, and a few can reach several years. The history of highly malignant and posterior cranial fossa tumors is shorter, while the history of more benign tumors or tumors located in the quiet area is longer. If the tumor has bleeding or cystic changes, the symptoms will suddenly worsen, and even have a similar course of cerebrovascular disease. The clinical symptoms of gliomas can be divided into two aspects. One is the symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, such as headache, vomiting, decreased vision, diplopia, mental symptoms, etc.; the other is the focal symptoms caused by tumor compression, infiltration, and destruction of brain tissue. In the early stage, it can manifest as irritation symptoms such as localized epilepsy, and in the later stage, it can manifest as symptoms of neurological dysfunction such as paralysis. The diagnosis of glioma is analyzed according to its biological characteristics, age, gender, predilection site and clinical course. Based on the medical history and physical signs, electrophysiology, ultrasound, radionuclide, radiology and nuclear magnetic resonance and other auxiliary examinations are used. The positioning accuracy is almost 100%, and the qualitative diagnosis accuracy can be above 90%.

Because gliomas grow in an invasive manner, have unclear boundaries, and are prone to recurrence, a comprehensive treatment plan that combines microsurgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy is currently the best strategy for treating gliomas. No single treatment method can curb the recurrence of gliomas, and only a combination of multiple methods can best prolong the interval between tumor recurrences and prolong the patient's life.

Despite a complete comprehensive treatment plan, gliomas are still prone to recurrence due to their invasive growth and migration to distant sites. The time of recurrence is often closely related to the molecular pathology results and the malignancy grade of the tumor. When recurring, patients often experience increased intracranial pressure or new functional loss symptoms, and should go to the hospital for a follow-up visit as soon as possible.