|
Oligodendroglial Tumors
Oligodendroglial tumors begin in the brain cells called oligodendrocytes, which support and nourish nerve cells. Grades of oligodendroglial tumors include the following:
- Oligodendroglioma (grade II): Oligodendrogliomas are slow-growing tumors with cells that look very much like normal cells. These tumors occur most often in patients between the ages of 40 and 60 years.
- Anaplastic oligodendroglioma (grade III): Anaplastic oligodendrogliomas grow quickly and the cells look very different from normal cells.
Treatment of oligodendrogliomas may include the following:
- Surgery, usually with radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of surgery and radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for tumors that cannot be completely removed by surgery.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy using one or more drugs.
Treatment of anaplastic oligodendroglioma may include the following:
- Surgery plus radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy using more than one drug.
- Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy using more than one drug.
- Clinical trials of new treatments.
|
