Gliosarcoma
| Gliosarcoma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Micrograph showing a gliosarcoma. Elastic van Gieson's stain. | |
| Specialty | Oncology  |
Gliosarcoma is a rare type of glioma, a cancer of the brain that comes from glial, or supportive, brain cells, as opposed to the neural brain cells. Gliosarcoma is a malignant cancer, and is defined as a glioblastoma consisting of gliomatous and sarcomatous components.[1]
It is estimated that approximately 2.1% of all glioblastomas are gliosarcomas. Although most gliomas rarely show metastases outside the cerebrum, gliosarcomas have a propensity to do so, most commonly spreading through the blood to the lungs, and also liver and lymph nodes.[2]
Gliosarcomas have an epidemiology similar to that of glioblastomas, with the average age of onset being 54 years, and males being affected twice as often as females. They are most commonly present in the temporal lobe.
References
- ^ Ayadi L, Charfi S, Khabir A, et al. (March 2010). "[Cerebral gliosarcoma: clinico-pathologic study of 8 cases]". Tunis Med (in French). 88 (3): 142–6. PMID 20415184.
- ^ Beumont; Kupsky, WJ; Barger, GR; Sloan, AE; et al. (2007). "Gliosarcoma with multiple extracranial metastases: case report and review of the literature". J. Neurooncology. 83 (1): 39–46. doi:10.1007/s11060-006-9295-x. PMID 17171442.
External links
- Gliosarcoma entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
This article incorporates public domain material from Dictionary of Cancer Terms. U.S. National Cancer Institute.