Golovnomozgovye tumors are considered the most dangerous, because they affect the vital structures of the body. Even a relatively benign education in the brain can cause a lot of complications.
Among brain tumors is rare, but still there is an oligodendroglioma( only 3% of the total number of brain formations).
What is an oligodendroglioma?
Oligodendroglioma is a cerebrospinal tumor formed from specific cellular structures - oligodendrocytes, from which normally the protective neuronal cells form.
Similar formations are characterized by heterogeneity, may have cystic inclusions in which lime components are deposited.
Oligodendrogliomas are characterized by slow growth and progression.
It happens that the detection of a tumor takes 5 years or more. And only after reaching a large size education makes itself felt.
Tumor varieties
Oligodendrogliomas are of several varieties:
- The oligodendroglioma is a typical , a tumor with grade II malignancy. It is characterized by relatively slow growth, has favorable forecasts;
- Anaplastic oligodendroglioma - the third grade of malignancy is attributed to similar tumors. Such formations grow rapidly and expansively, characterized by a rapid progression of symptoms;
- Oligoastrocytoma mixed type - also has grade III malignancy, however, later it degenerates into glioblastoma( the most malignant and aggressively developing cerebral tumor characterized by high mortality of patients).
Causes and symptoms of
pathology. Finally, the causes contributing to the onset of the tumor are not revealed, however, in most patients with oligodendrogliomas, mutations in 19 or 1 chromosomes or both are detected.
Clinical manifestations of education are determined by the nature of the localization of the tumor.
Frontal lobes control the processes of judgment, memorization, assimilation, knowledge and training, and temporal lobes are responsible for motor coordination, hearing and memory, speech activity, therefore, when they are affected by the tumor process, these functions suffer.
Symptoms of the oligodendroglioma are quite diverse. Since all patients with this type of education have problems with elevated ICP caused by tumor growth, then such manifestations arise on this background, as:
- Vomiting that does not facilitate relief;
- Uncaused nausea and dizziness, which is typical for 9% of patients;
- Weakening of visual acuity;
- Frequent changes in mood, excessive irritability;
- Personal changes;
- Hearing problems;
- Reduction of mental status occurs in 10% of cases of oligodendrogliomas;
- Frequent epileptic seizures, spasms of convulsive muscle contractions. A similar symptom is characteristic for 57% of patients;
- Speech disorders;
- Weak muscle tissue in the limbs, or complete loss of their motor functionality;
- Inability to coordinate their movements;
- Memory process violations;
- Frequent attacks of intense headaches, which are observed in 22% of cases.
Sometimes oligodendrogliomas cause paralysis of the opposite tumor of the side of the trunk.
Diagnosis of Education
Initially, the patient undergoes a neurological examination, which includes many procedures like hearing testing, facial muscles, eye reflexes, balance, smell, head movements, check memory and abstract thinking.
When suspected of an oligodendroglioma, the patient is subjected to a thorough diagnostic examination.
- Computed tomography is an x-ray method used to obtain images with a layered image of the brain, more precisely, the affected part.
- Magnetic resonance imaging is the most informative method, clearly visualizing the cerebrospinal structures.
- Audiography - a similar study allows you to determine the extent of auditory disorders that have occurred under the influence of the tumor process.
- Electroencephalogram - the study is aimed at the determination of electrical cerebrospinal activity and allows to determine the nervous system functionality.
Additionally, you may need a stereotactic tumor biopsy, an analysis of cerebrospinal fluid and other studies.
Methods for treatment of oligodendrogliomas
Therapy of oligodendrogliomas, like other cerebrospinal tumors, is seriously different from treating tumoral processes in other organic structures.
Surgical intervention on the brain can lead to a lot of complications, and drug therapy is often complicated by the inability of most drugs to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, the therapy of oligodendroglioma formations, its side effects and complications are rather complicated.
If tumors have an aggressive character, i.e., grow rapidly, germinate into neighboring tissues, then there are difficulties in prompt removal.
- Removal operations are carried out with the help of modern stereotaxic systems , and MRI allows you to accurately determine the localization of the tumor and pave the way to reach her microsurgical instruments. Therefore, surgical treatment with oligodendrogliom is most effective and safe.
- Tumors of this type are highly sensitive to chemotherapy , which is carried out by combining antitumor drugs Vincristine with Lomustine and Procarbazine( PCV scheme) or with monotherapy with Temozolomide. In addition to systemic chemotherapy, antitumor cytotoxic drugs are administered topically to the cerebrospinal fluid and tumor tissues.
- Radiation therapy, which involves the use of ionizing radiation, is often used to suppress the rates of tumor growth. Irradiation can be carried out remotely or internally. If brachytherapy is carried out, the radiation elements are placed in tumor tissues, as a result, maximum ionizing training is achieved, which increases the effectiveness of treatment. Often, in the treatment of tumors of small sizes, a radiotherapy technique is used with Gamma-knife or Cyber-knife devices.
In the course of surgical removal and determination of its volume, the preservation of vital and important intracranial nerves and cranial functions is crucial.
In anaplastic type of oligodendroglioma, complicated by tumor infiltration, spreading to both cerebral hemispheres, diffuse or multiple character, surgeons talk about the inoperability of education. In such cases, the operation is most significant in the diagnostic plan. Therefore, for a more complete picture of the diagnosis, a biopsy is performed.
After the operation, the patient needs physiotherapy assistance, which is the basis of rehabilitation and recovery activities.
In addition, the patient needs motor and psychological adaptation. Patients are required to undergo annual prophylactic examinations, it is recommended to examine the blood for cancer markers to prevent the recurrence.
If a similar tumor is found in a young woman who is planning a natural motherhood in the future, until she is removed, it is impossible to become pregnant with the patient.
This prohibition is related to the fact that pregnancy provokes an increased growth of cerebrospinal formations. Therefore, the woman must first remove the oligodendroglioma, then undergo a full rehabilitation and recovery, and a year after the operation with the approval of the doctor, you can plan to conceive.
Forecast
Five-year survival with oligodendroglioma is due to age and physical characteristics of patients. The highest survival rate occurs in young patients.
The older the patient, the less he has a chance of recovery.
- At 20-44 years of age, the five-year survival rate is 81%;
- In the 45-55-year-old age group - 68%;
- Over 55 years old - 47%.