Oligodendroglioma

Question: the drug lodamina is compatible against brain cáncer or oligodendroglioma anaplasico grade III?? please let me know , because , my uncle have this cancer and she is very sad Thanks!

Answer: What is the chemical name of the drug in English? Sorry but I do not read Italian and all the articles I found about this drug are in Italian. good luck to your uncle

Question: is temozolomide good for remeding of oligodendroglioma grade 2? i'm 28 years old,4 monnths ago ,i had surgical operation for my oligodendroglioma grade 2,then i performed radioterapy,but this time doctor said me:you have to do chemtropy or use temozolomide,i don't know which one is better?

Answer: Temozolomide (Temodar) is chemotherapy. My son took it in combination with Irinotecan for abdominal sarcoma. After he was on this protocol for a month the lesions in his lungs disappeared. He continued on this protocol for 8 months with no serious side effects. Towards the end of treatment he had diarrea that was controlled using Immodium. All in all it was a good protocol for him. I am not sure about the oligodendroglioma, although I understand that Temozolomide is able to pass the blood brain barrier so is often used to treat brain tumors. There are studies indicating there may be benefit for patients with your disease: http://virtualtrials.com/news3.cfm?item=… "Temozolomide treatment for newly diagnosed anaplastic oligodendrogliomas: a clinical efficacy trial. Taliansky-Aronov A, Bokstein F, Lavon I, Siegal T. Leslie and Michael Gaffin Center for Neuro-Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel. PURPOSE: Chemotherapy with alkylating agents is of proven efficacy in recurrent anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO) with reported response rates ranging between 50% and 70%. The response of newly diagnosed AO to initial treatment with temozolomide (TMZ) has not yet been reported. This study evaluated the response and time to tumor progression of newly diagnosed AO initially treated with TMZ. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with a median age of 47 (range: 26-65) received a median of 14 (range: 3-24) cycles of TMZ as their first modality of therapy following diagnosis of AO. Treatment was given every 28 days for 5 days at a starting dose of 200 mg/m2/d and was continued for 24 cycles unless toxicity or tumor progression required withdrawal of TMZ. MRI evaluations were repeated every 8 weeks and scales of Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and of neurological function were used to assess clinical response. RESULTS: Clinical improvement was observed in 60% of the patients with statistically significant gain measured by KPS and the neurologic function scales. The objective response rate was 75%, and median time to tumor progression was 24 months. Maximal objective response was reached within a median of 6 months (range: 3-12). Tumors with 1p loss had longer progression free survival compared to tumors without deletions (PFS at 24 months: 1p LOH = 100%, 1p intact = 20%; P = 0.057). TMZ was well tolerated with only two events of grade 3/4 hematological toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Newly diagnosed AO demonstrates a high rate of response to initial therapy with TMZ, similar to the response reported for PCV combination therapy. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal duration of treatment and whether radiotherapy should immediately follow chemotherapy." Good luck with your choice.

Question: is oligodendroglioma a maliganent tumor? it is a form of brain tumor that I was just diagnosed with and had surgery to have it removed

Answer: Oligodendroglioma Definition Oligodendrogliomas are a rare form of brain tumors. The brain is made up of many supporting cells that are called glial cells. Any tumor of these glial cells is called a glioma. Oligodendrogliomas are tumors that arise from a type of glial cell called oligodendrocytes. These cells are the specialized cells of the brain that produce the fatty covering of nerve cells (myelin). Description Oligodendrogliomas can grow in different parts of the brain, but they are most commonly found in the frontal or temporal lobes of the cerebrum. The frontal lobes are responsible for cognitive thought processes (knowing, thinking, learning, and judging). The temporal lobes are responsible for coordination, speech, hearing, memory, and awareness of time. There are two types of oligodendroglioma: the well-differentiated tumor, which grows relatively slowly and in a defined shape; and, the anaplastic oligodendroglioma, which grows much more rapidly and does not have a well-defined shape. Anaplastic oligodendrogliomas are much less common than well-differentiated oligodendrogliomas. More common than either form of pure oligodendroglioma is the mixed glioma, or oligoastrocytoma. These mixed gliomas are a mixture of oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma. An astrocytoma is a tumor that arises from the astrocytes, specialized cells in the brain that regulate the chemical environment of the brain and help to form the blood-brain barrier. Oligodendrogliomas and mixed gliomas account for approximately 4 to 5% of all primary brain tumors and 10% of all gliomas. A primary brain tumor is a tumor that begins in the brain, as opposed to a secondary (or metastatic) brain tumor, which originates in another organ and spreads (metastasizes) to the brain. Demographics Oligodendromas occur in approximately nine in every one million people. Oligodendrogliomas can occur in people of any age, but most occur in middle-aged adults. Oligodendrogliomas occur with equal frequency in members of all races and ethnic groups. There does not appear to be any relation of oligodendrogliomas to any geographic region. For unknown reasons, men are affected by oligodendrogliomas in higher numbers than women. Causes and symptoms The cause, or causes, of oligodendrogliomas are not known; however, most people with these types of tumors have some type of genetic mutation on chromosome 1, chromosome 19, or on both chromosomes 1 and 19. In early 2001, investigations were ongoing in an attempt to determine if these genetic factors, or other factors, cause oligodendrogliomas. Oligodendrogliomas are not contagious. The symptoms of oligodenrogliomas are the result of increased pressure in the fluid within the skull (intracranial hypertension). These symptoms include: nausea vomiting irritability headache vision disturbances enlargement of the head seizures Oligodendrogliomas may also be accompanied by a weakness or paralysis on the side of the body opposite to the side of the brain where the tumor is located. When the tumor is located in a frontal lobe, the patient may experience gradual changes in mood and personality. When it is located in a temporal lobe, the patient may experience difficulty with speech, hearing, coordination, and memory. Diagnosis The diagnosis of oligodendrogliomas begins in the doctor's office with a basic neurological examination. This examination involves: testing eye reflexes, eye movement, and pupil reactions testing hearing with a tuning fork or ticking watch reflex tests with a rubber hammer balance and coordination tests pin-prick and cotton ball tests for sense of touch sense of smell tests with various odors facial muscle tests (e.g., smiling, frowning, etc.) tongue movement and gag reflex tests head movement tests mental status tests (e.g., asking what year it is, who the President is, etc.) abstract thinking tests (e.g., asking for the meaning of a common saying, such as "every cloud has a silver lining.") memory tests (e.g., asking to have a list of objects repeated, asking for details of what a patient ate for dinner last night, etc.) If the doctor suspects a brain tumor may be present, further diagnostic tests will be ordered. These tests are performed by a neurological specialist. Imaging tests that may be ordered include computed tomography (CT)and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Other tests may include a spinal tap, to examine the cerebrospinal fluid, and an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain. Treatment team Treatment of any primary brain tumor, including oligodendrogliomas, is different from treating tumors in other parts of the body. Brain surgery requires much more precision than most other surgeries. Also, many medicinal drugs cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, the therapies that are used to treat oligodendrogliomas, and the side effects of these therapies, are quite complex. The most up-to-date treatment opportunities are available from experienced, multi-disciplinary medical professional teams made up of doctors, nurses, and technologists who specialize in cancer (oncology), neurology, medical imaging, drug or radiation therapy, and anesthesiology. Clinical staging, treatments, and prognosis Oligodendrogliomas and other primary brain tumors are diagnosed, or staged, in grades of severity from I to IV. Grade I tumors have cells that are not malignant and are nearly normal in appearance. Grade II tumors have cells that appear to be slightly abnormal. Grade III tumors have cells that are malignant and clearly abnormal. Grade IV, the most severe type of brain tumors, contain fast-spreadingand abnormal cells. Well-defined oligodendrogliomas are generally stage I or stage II tumors. Anaplastic oligodenrogliomas are generally stage III or stage IV tumors. The standard treatment for all grades of oligodendrogliomas is surgery to remove the tumor completely. This surgery is generally aided by an image guidance system that allows the surgeon to determine the most efficient route to location of the tumor. Approximately half of oligodendroglioma patients gain relief of the increased intracranial pressure after complete removal of their tumors. The other half require a spinal fluid shunt to allow drainage of the excess fluid. In some instances of oligodendroglioma, the tumor is inoperable or cannot be completely removed. Patients with inoperable oligodendrogliomas are generally treated with radiation therapies. Oligodendrogliomas are among the only brain tumors that can be successfully treated with a type of chemotherapy called PCV (Procarbazine, CCNU or lomustine, and Vincristine). Chemotherapy is usually used only in cases of recurrent anaplastic oligodendrogliomas.

Question: oligodendroglioma tumour?

Answer: It's a type of brain tumor. You can find more information about this tumor at CancerBackup: Oligodendroglioma http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertyp… NCI: Adult Treatment for Oligodendroglioma http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/t…