Astrocytic tumors
Updates to Article Attributes
Astrocytic tumours are primary central nervous system tumours that either arises from astrocytes or appear similar to astrocytes on histology having arisen from precursor cells. They are the most common tumours arising from glial cells and can be broadly divided into three groups:
- diffuse, adult-type
- diffuse, paediatric type
- circumscribed
These can further be divided into individual entities (as described in the WHO classification of CNS tumour, 5th edition, 2021) many of which are molecularly defined 3.
- adult-type diffuse astrocytic gliomas
- astrocytoma, IDH-mutant: WHO CNS grade 2 to 4
- oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted: WHO CNS grade 2 to 3
- glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype: WHO CNS grade 4
- paediatric-type low-grade astrocytic gliomas
- angiocentric glioma: WHO CNS grade 1
- diffuse astrocytoma, MYB- or MYBL1-altered: WHO CNS grade 1
- diffuse low-grade glioma, MAPK pathway-altered
- paediatric-type high-grade astrocytic gliomas
- circumscribed astrocytic gliomas
- astroblastoma: WHO CNS grade
- high-grade astrocytoma with piloid features
- pilocytic astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 1
- pilomyxoid astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 2
- pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 2
- subependymal giant cell astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade1
Additionally, some tumours also contain astrocytic components, and it is often this component that dictated biological behaviour. Examples include:
Most of these tumours have strikingly differing demographics, imaging appearances, treatment and prognosis and thus they are, along with spinal astrocytomas discussed separately.
Note: anaplastic astrocytoma, gliomatosis cerebri, fibrillary astrocytoma and protoplasmic astrocytoma are no longer recognised in the current WHO classification of CNS tumours
-<a title="Oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted" href="/articles/oligodendroglioma">oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted</a>: WHO CNS grade 2 to 3</li>- +<a href="/articles/oligodendroglioma">oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted</a>: WHO CNS grade 2 to 3</li>
-<a href="/articles/diffuse-astrocytoma-myb-or-mybl1-altered">diffuse astrocytoma, MYB- or MYBL1-altered</a>: WHO CNS grade 1</li>-<li><a href="/articles/diffuse-low-grade-glioma-mapk-pathway-altered">diffuse low-grade glioma, MAPK pathway-altered</a></li>- +<a href="/articles/diffuse-astrocytoma-myb-or-mybl1-altered-1">diffuse astrocytoma, MYB- or MYBL1-altered</a>: WHO CNS grade 1</li>
- +<li><a href="/articles/diffuse-low-grade-glioma-mapk-pathway-altered-1">diffuse low-grade glioma, MAPK pathway-altered</a></li>
-</ul><p>Most of these tumours have strikingly differing demographics, imaging appearances, treatment and prognosis and thus they are, along with <a href="/articles/spinal-astrocytoma">spinal astrocytomas</a> discussed separately. </p><p><strong>Note:</strong> <a href="/articles/anaplastic-astrocytoma-historical">anaplastic astrocytoma</a>, <a href="/articles/gliomatosis-cerebri">gliomatosis cerebri</a>, <a href="/articles/fibrillary-astrocytoma-historical">fibrillary astrocytoma</a> and <a href="/articles/protoplasmic-astrocytoma-historical">protoplasmic astrocytoma</a> are no longer recognised in the current <a href="/articles/who-classification-of-cns-tumours-1">WHO classification of CNS tumours</a></p>- +</ul><p>Most of these tumours have strikingly differing demographics, imaging appearances, treatment and prognosis and thus they are, along with <a href="/articles/spinal-astrocytoma">spinal astrocytomas</a> discussed separately.</p><p><strong>Note:</strong> <a href="/articles/anaplastic-astrocytoma-historical">anaplastic astrocytoma</a>, <a href="/articles/gliomatosis-cerebri">gliomatosis cerebri</a>, <a href="/articles/fibrillary-astrocytoma-historical">fibrillary astrocytoma</a> and <a href="/articles/protoplasmic-astrocytoma-historical">protoplasmic astrocytoma</a> are no longer recognised in the current <a href="/articles/who-classification-of-cns-tumours-1">WHO classification of CNS tumours</a></p>
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