Astrocytic tumours

Last revised by Rohit Sharma on 30 Mar 2024

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Gaillard F, Sharma R, Gonzalez N, et al. Astrocytic tumours. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 25 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-938

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-938

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/938

rID:

938

Article created:

2 May 2008, Frank Gaillard ◉ ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.

View Frank Gaillard's current disclosures

Last revised:

30 Mar 2024, Rohit Sharma ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Rohit Sharma had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Rohit Sharma's current disclosures

Revisions:

23 times, by 13 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Central Nervous System

Synonyms:

Astrocytomas
Astrocytoma: general
Astrocytoma

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 tumours (5^th edition, 2021), many of which are molecularly defined ³.

adult-type diffuse gliomas
- astrocytoma, IDH-mutant: WHO CNS grade 2 to 4
- glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype: WHO CNS grade 4
paediatric-type diffuse low-grade gliomas
- angiocentric glioma: WHO CNS grade 1
- diffuse astrocytoma, MYB- or MYBL1-altered: WHO CNS grade 1
- diffuse low-grade glioma, MAPK pathway-altered: grade not assigned
paediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas
- diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered: WHO CNS grade 4
- diffuse hemispheric glioma, H3 G34-mutant: WHO CNS grade 4
- diffuse paediatric-type high-grade glioma, H3-wildtype and IDH-wildtype: WHO CNS grade 4
- infant-type hemispheric glioma: grade not assigned
circumscribed astrocytic gliomas
- pilocytic astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 1
  - pilomyxoid astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 2
- high-grade astrocytoma with piloid features: grade not assigned
- pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 2 or 3
- subependymal giant cell astrocytoma: WHO CNS grade 1
- chordoid glioma: WHO CNS grade 2
- astroblastoma, MN1-altered: grade not assigned

Additionally, some tumours also contain astrocytic components, and it is often this component that dictates biological behaviour. Examples include:

ganglioglioma

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, gemistocytic astrocytoma are no longer recognised as distinct entities in the current WHO classification of CNS tumours.