National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Astroblastoma



Other Names:
Cerebral astroblastoma
Categories:

Astroblastoma is a rare glial tumor usually located in the cerebral hemisphere of the brain.[1] It can occur in individuals of any age, but occurs predominantly in children and young adults.[2] Signs and symptoms depend on the location and size of the tumor but most commonly include headaches and seizures.[1] Because these tumors are rare, there is little known regarding their behavior and how they should be managed.[3] Gross total resection (complete removal) of the tumor is recommended and is associated with a good prognosis for low-grade tumors. Adjuvant therapy, including radiation and/or chemotherapy, is recommended for high-grade and recurrent cases (although its effectiveness is controversial).[1][4]
Last updated: 9/4/2012

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Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Astroblastoma. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Selected Full-Text Journal Articles


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  1. Agarwal V, Mally R, Palande DA, Velho V. Cerebral astroblastoma: A case report and review of literature. Asian J Neurosurg. April 2012; 7(2):98-100. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3410171/. Accessed 9/4/2012.
  2. John D. Port, Daniel J. Brat, Peter C. Burger and Martin G. Pomper. Astroblastoma: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation and Distinction from Ependymoma. AJNR. February 2002; 23:243-247.
  3. Sughrue ME et al. Clinical features and post-surgical outcome of patients with astroblastoma. J Clin Neurosci. June 2011; 18(6):750-754.
  4. Andrew D Norden, Milan G Chheda, Patrick Y Wen. Uncommon Brain Tumors. UpToDate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate; July 2012;