Medical Visa
Assistance

Tele-Video
Consultation

Language Interpretation
Services

Second Medical
Opinion

Post-Treatment
Care Coordination

Coordinating care at accredited hospitals, including

Apollo HospitalsFortis HealthcareManipal HospitalsSarvodaya Hospital

Not sure where to start? Get a free medical opinion

Not sure what your treatment will cost? Free, instant, itemised estimate -- treatment, visa, flights, hotel & food

What will your treatment cost?

Chat Assistance

Astrocytoma Treatment in India

Released Date: 2021-02-08

Written & reviewed by Vikram Kashyap, Medical Consultant, Satyug Healthcare ·Last updated: 8 February 2021 ·Editorial policy

What is Astrocytoma?

Astrocytoma is a type of cancer that forms in the brain or spinal cord. Astrocytoma begins in cells called astrocytes that support nerve cells. Astrocytomas that occur in the brain can cause seizures, headaches and nausea. Astrocytomas that occur in the spinal cord can cause weakness and disability in the area affected by the growing tumor. Astrocytoma can be a slow-growing tumor, or it can be an aggressive cancer that grows quickly. The aggressiveness (grade) of your astrocytoma determines your prognosis and treatment options.

🖼️ Understand It in Pictures

💡 In simple words

A brain tumour is a lump of abnormal cells that can press on the brain. In a craniotomy, the surgeon opens a small window in the skull, removes as much tumour as is safe, then puts the bone back.

Normal brain vs brain with a tumour

Craniotomy for Brain Tumour: normal vs abnormal explained in pictures

👀 Symptoms in Pictures

Symptoms that may need Craniotomy for Brain Tumour - in pictures

🩻 Scans & Tests — What Doctors See

**MRI scanner**
You lie on a bed that slides into the tunnel; it uses magnets, not radiation, and takes 20–45 minutes.
Image: Jan Ainali, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

**MRI of a brain tumour**
The bright ring-shaped area inside the brain is the tumour; MRI shows its size and exact place.
Image: Hellerhoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

🎬 The Treatment Journey in Pictures

Craniotomy for Brain Tumour step by step in pictures

📅 Recovery at a Glance

Recovery timeline after Craniotomy for Brain Tumour

Drawings: Satyug Healthcare (simplified, not to scale). Photos: Wikimedia Commons; author and licence under each photo.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of astrocytomas are the following:

Persistent headaches
Headaches which are worse in the morning or cause awakening from sleep
Double or blurred vision
Speech problems
Decreased cognitive abilities
Grasp or limb weakness
New seizures

Diagnosis

Neurological exam. Doctor may check your vision, hearing, balance, coordination, strength and reflexes. Problems in one or more of these areas may provide clues about the part of your brain that could be affected by a brain tumor.
Imaging tests. Imaging tests can help your doctor determine the location and size of your brain tumor. MRI is often used to diagnose brain tumors, and it may be used along with specialized MRI imaging, such as functional MRI, perfusion MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Other imaging tests may include CT and positron emission tomography (PET).
Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy). A biopsy can be done with a needle before surgery or during surgery to remove your astrocytoma, depending on your particular situation and the location of your tumor. The sample of suspicious tissue is analyzed in a laboratory to determine the types of cells and their level of aggressiveness.

Treatment

Surgery

Surgery is usually the first step in treating an astrocytoma. In some cases, your doctor may be able to remove all or most of the tumor. However, anaplastic astrocytomas grow quickly, so your doctor may only be able to safely remove part of the tumor.

Astrocytoma causes and Treatment

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy

If your tumor can’t be removed with surgery, or only part of it was removed, you may need radiation therapy. Radiation therapy destroys rapidly dividing cells, which tend to be cancerous. This will help to shrink the tumor or destroy any parts that weren’t removed during surgery. You may also be given chemotherapy medication, such as temozolomide (Temodar), during or after radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that might remain. It can be combined with radiation therapy for aggressive cancers.

Frequently asked questions

Q.Is an astrocytoma malignant or benign?

An astrocytoma is a type of brain tumor that develops in astrocytes. These are the star-shaped cells in the brain that hold nerve cells in place. An astrocytoma can be harmless (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Astrocytomas are most common in middle-aged men, but they can occur in children, too.

Q.Is astrocytoma deadly?

Grade 1 and grade 2 astrocytomas grow slowly and are benign, meaning they're not cancerous. Grade 3 and grade 4 astrocytomas grow faster and are malignant, which means they're cancerous. An anaplastic astrocytoma is a grade 3 astrocytoma. While they're rare, they can be very serious if left untreated.

Q.Is astrocytoma inherited?

Inheritance. Anaplastic astrocytomas are usually not inherited . These tumors typically occur sporadically, in people with no family history of astrocytomas. In most cases, the exact cause is unknown.

Q.How does astrocytoma affect the body?

Astrocytomas increase the pressure in the brain (intracranial pressure), which causes headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Other symptoms experienced may depend on the type and location of the tumor. You may experience seizures, neck pain, or dizziness. You may lose your appetite.

Q.How long does it take to recover after surgery?

It can take some time to recover from your brain tumor operation. Everyone takes a different amount of time to recover. You might stay in hospital for around 3 to 10 days after surgery. How long you stay in hospital depends on your operation and how long you take to recover.