Treatment of astrocytoma

Astrocyte can be located according to the degree of malignancy of the form in the following order:

• Pilocytic. This is a benign tumor with clear boundaries, which slowly increases in volume.
• Fibrillar (diffuse). It has no clear boundaries. It often forms fluid-filled cysts.
• Anaplastic. This is a malignant, fast-growing astrocytoma that invades nearby brain structures.

Regardless of the degree of malignancy, astrocytoma requires an early start of treatment, since even a slow-growing benign node compresses the surrounding brain tissues, leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, and changes the activity of nerve centers.

The disease manifests itself with a number of non-specific neurological symptoms:

• Persistent headaches.
• Convulsions.
• Violation of coordination of movements, fine motor skills.
• Memory deterioration.
• Decrease in visual acuity, hearing, ability to recognize speech, etc.

As the disease progresses, the quality of life of the patient quickly deteriorates.

The choice of the most appropriate method of treatment or their combination is determined by the shape of the astrocytoma and its location.

Surgical removal

Benign and malignant astrocytomas are subject to surgical removal. Surgery is mandatory and the very first stage of treatment. A tumor with clear boundaries, which does not grow into the vital structures of the brain, is the easiest to remove. Cancer nodes located in close proximity to the nerve centers are not subject to surgical removal, since damage to these centers leads to the loss of certain higher psychological functions (memory, perception, thinking, speech, etc).

Radiation therapy

In the past, radiotherapy was considered an adjunct treatment. Now, thanks to the development of medical technology, in European countries and the United States, a wide range of cancer patients can be treated with radio-surgical systems such as radio and cyberknife. These technologies make it possible to remove a cancerous node of any size and shape without incisions and craniotomy.

The accuracy of the impact of radio-surgical systems reaches fractions of a millimeter. An additional “bonus” of using the Cyberknife is the ability of the device to monitor tumor nodes that move during breathing and muscle contraction. This eliminates the need for rigid fixation of the patient and makes the procedure much more comfortable.

Targeted therapy

In the West, to slow down the growth of tumors and to control the disease at the stage of remission, monoclonal antibody preparations are used. The appointment of this type of drug does not cause difficulties. These are tablets that do not have serious side effects, which are well tolerated even with a long course of treatment.
A serious problem is the preliminary examination of the patient, which includes testing for 790 varieties of genetic mutations, the appearance of which leads to the transition of a normal cell to malignant growth. Depending on the identified mutations, effective targeted drugs are selected, which must be taken for months or years.

Immunotherapy

One of the leading causes of uncontrolled growth of tumors is the lack of response to cancer cells from the immune system. Immunotherapy as a method of cancer treatment allows to artificially “help” the immune system to recognize altered cells and start actively attacking them. To this end, by using tissue samples from a patient’s tumor, an autologous vaccine is created that is only effective against one single tumor in one particular patient.
The action of the vaccine is supplemented by the introduction of a certain type of virus into the human body, which infects only cancer cells by ignoring healthy ones. Additional damage to the structures of the cancer node facilitates the work of the immune system to eliminate the tumor.

The answer to this question is obvious. If it is possible to go abroad for treatment, then it makes sense to use the experience of the best Israeli doctors. The prognosis for life and recovery in the case of the astrocytoma is largely determined by the quality of the treatment: the technical level of neurosurgical operations, the clinic’s equipment with the latest equipment, the availability of high-tech methods of treatment, modern medicines.
Experts Medical, based on the experience of treating its clients, has created the TOP-3 of the best oncological medical centers in the world. These are the Sheba Children’s Medical Center, the Ichilov and Schneider clinic.

Experts Medical’s medical consultants will always be happy to help you organize a remote consultation and treatment in the best foreign clinics specializing in the treatment of astrocytoma.