The Oligodendroglioma Brain Tumor Explained

The oligodendroglioma is a rare tumor that develops in the brain. It is created by the cells that are located in the connective tissue that surround the nerve cells of the brain. The symptoms that the patient experiences are heavily dependent upon the location of the tumor itself.

While more common among the adult population, these cells have been found in children as well. The oligodendroglioma tumor is considered to be one that grows at an extremely slow rate. In the United States population, this type of tumor accounts for approximately 3% of all tumor diagnoses. It has been established that males are more prone to this type of condition than females.

Symptoms of the Oligodendroglioma Tumor

Individuals that experience the oligodendroglioma tumor may endure a multitude of symptoms. The symptoms that are experienced are heavily dependent upon the exact location and general size of the tumor. In most instances, the following symptoms are identified in patients suffering from this condition:

• Many individuals will start to experience headaches. In most cases, as the tumor progresses in size, the headaches will progress in severity.
• Many individuals may experience behavioral based changes. These changes may include a marked personality change, high levels of irritability, depression, and even aggression.
• In some cases where an oligodendroglioma tumor is present, cognitive challenges occur. These challenges may include problems with concentration, complications with memory, and similar issues.
• There are many cases where sufferers of this type of brain tumor will experience motor function complications. Examples include experiencing weakness and paralysis in the body, challenges with walking, issues with speaking, and similar types of issues.
• Many may start to have mild to severe seizures that come as a direct result of the tumor that is growing in, on, or around the brain.
• Problems with the bowels and even the bladder may be experienced when an individual suffers from this type of tumor.

Treatments

There are many treatments that may be necessary to relieve an individual of the symptoms that they experience with this tumor type. Medical professionals typically determine the course of treatment by the grade that is associated with the tumor itself. For those with only a mild tumor with minimal symptoms, a surgery may be considered.

Typically, the individual will be monitored after the surgery to determine if the tumor returns or makes an attempt to return and spread. For those that suffer from more serious complications as a result of their tumor, radiation may be required in order to ensure that the tumor does not return. Many individuals may also have to undergo chemotherapy sessions as a course of treatment after having a surgery for this type of tumor.

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Original article

What Is an Oligodendroglioma?

At the age of 6, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is most commonly found in adults, so perhaps that means I am mature, but likely it only indicates a lack of fortune.

Oligodendroglioma is a type of tumor that is thought to originate the oligodendrocytes in the brain. Most of the time oligodendrogliomas occur in adults; only four percent of them occur in children. On average, patients diagnosed with them are about 35 years old.

Oligodendrogliomas originate from an unknown source at this time. Some studies have shown a link to a viral cause while others have found a genetic cause. More than likely, both are causes.

There is no way to tell if a tumor is an oligodendroglioma aside from taking a biopsy. They often take a shape similar to a fried egg and sort of wrap around healthy cells. This can lead to headaches, dizziness, and seizures. Since oligodendrogliomas can occur anywhere in the brain, they can ultimately have a number of different symptoms associated with them. For instance, visual loss, motor problems, and even cognitive difficulties can result depending on the location of the tumor.

Many experts believe that oligodendrogliomas are ultimately incurable. They tend to be slow growing and are difficult to remove completely and so recurrence is almost certain. Depending on the "grade" of the tumor, victims typically live anywhere from 3-12 years (although I have made it almost 30). Of course this range is only semi-accurate as severity of the tumor, type of treatment, general health at the time of diagnosis, etc., all have a significant impact on the survival rate of oligodendrogliomas and any type of cancer for that matter.

There are a number of different approaches to dealing with oligodendrogliomas including:

1. Surgery- obviously one way to remove any tumor is to surgically excise it. This may be a particularly important approach when the tumor is directly affecting particular brain structures.

2. Radiation therapy- this may be done in addition to surgery or as a standalone treatment to destroy the tumor cells. However, it can also damage healthy tissue.

3. Chemotherapy- this is a natural approach to any tumor because it can be effective at killing off tumor cells, but it often also brings harsh side effects.

4. Stereotactic Surgery- this is a relatively recent approach that allows doctors to "target" cells three dimensionally and essentially "shoot" them with radiation. That way only the bad cells are affected, unlike with radiation.

Oligodendrogliomas are terrible things to have and I regret to admit that I can personally attest to that fact.

I have additionally written my experiences on my blog at http://www.oligodendrogliomas.com/

Original article