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Pilocytic Astrocytoma

Tumour Group:
Astrocytoma and Pediatric Brain Tumour
WHO Grade:
Grade I - Also called Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (JPA)
Prevalence/Incidence:
Pilocytic astrocytomas comprise approximately 5-6% of all gliomas. This tumour type has an overall incidence of 0.37 per 100,000 persons per year.
Typical Age Range:
Pilocytic astrocytomas are typically seen in children and young adults. They can occur at all ages in children and teens, but the median age for a juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA) is 5 to 14 years. This tumour type is unusual in infants and very rare in adults.

Tumour Characteristics

  • Slow growing, with relatively well-defined borders
  • Grows in the cerebrum, optic nerve pathways, brain stem and cerebellum
  • Occurs most often in children and teens
  • Considered the most non-malignant of all the astrocytomas

Symptoms

Common symptoms include, but are not necessarily limited to:

  • Headaches
  • Seizures
  • Memory loss
  • Changes in behaviour

Treatment/Standard of Care

Surgery is the standard treatment. If total removal is not possible, chemotherapy and / or radiation may be offered.

Prognosis

A prognosis is an estimate of the likely progress of a disease after a diagnosis, based on an average patient group. Since every person is different, please take time to talk with your health care team about how this information applies to you.

By clicking on 'expand', a statistic on the prognosis for Pilocytic Astrocytoma will be shown.