A type of brain cancer that forms on the supportive cells of the brain, astrocytoma affects seven to 10 people per 100,00 people each year, according to the University of Connecticut. The MayoClinic.com points out that a glioblastoma multiforme, a grade IV astrocytoma or the advanced type of astrocytoma, is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. The type of treatment used for an astrocytoma depends on how advanced the cancer is.
Surgery
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital notes that if the surgeon can reach the tumor without damaging the nearby brain tissue, resection or full surgical removal of the tumor is the best treatment option. If a surgeon fully removes a low-grade astrocytoma, the slow growing form of the cancer, the patient may not need further treatment. MayoClinic.com points out that even if a surgeon cannot fully remove a grade I astrocytoma, the least severe form of astrocytoma, the remaining cancerous tissue may become inactive. But with high-grade astrocytomas, the fast growing form of the cancer, surgeons have a harder time removing the tumor completely because the tumor affects more brain tissue. In these cases, the doctors may opt for surgery first, remove as much of the tumor as possible, then give the patient another treatment.
Radiation
Cedars-Sinai explains that gliomas require radiation therapy, which include astrocytomas. Radiation therapy uses powerful energy beams, or ionized radiation, which destroy the cancerous tissue. The University of California, Los Angeles, points out that with an astrocytoma, the doctor may administer the radiation to a specific area if the tumor is in one region or to the entire brain. Patients attend radiation therapy for several weeks, depending on the severity of their cancer. The MayoClinic.com adds that radiation is a standard treatment for anaplastic astrocytoma, a grade III astrocytoma, which can prolong survival.
Chemotherapy
Some astrocytoma patients may receive chemotherapy, which involves the administration of drugs that destroy the cancer cells. However, the chemotherapy drugs can also destroy normal cells, which explains why patients lose their hair during treatment. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital notes that in children with astrocytoma, doctors give chemotherapy before radiation therapy as radiation causes more side effects in this age group. Like radiation therapy, chemotherapy requires patients to attend several treatment sessions, the number of which the doctor will decide. The MayoClinic.com explains that doctors may use temozolomide, a type of chemotherapy drug, to treat anaplastic astrocytoma that keeps reoccurring or glioblastoma multiforme.
