Causes
The cause of its formation is still unknown today. There are many theories, but none of them has been proven. There are indications that the tendency to form oligodendrogliomas may be genetically determined. Also a connection with viruses and multiple sclerosis is discussed.
Diagnosis
As with any illness, the diagnosis is first made by taking the patient’s medical history, i.e. by talking to a doctor. The foreign anamnesis, i.e. the description of the symptoms by a second person, also plays a role in brain tumors. Often the partner or children notice the changes in nature the fastest.
It is also important to give an exact description of the epileptic seizures, as they differ depending on the location and type of tumor. If the doctor suspects that it could be a brain tumor, an imaging of the head is arranged. A CT (computed tomography) with the administration of a contrast medium, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging of the brain) or even an X-ray examination of the skull can be done first.
Often an EEG (electroencephalography) is also written, which means that the brain waves are measured. The CT and MRT are the most important for making a diagnosis. A CT with contrast medium administration can detect the tumor in over 90% of cases and sometimes also determine the type of tumor.
However, oligodendrogliomas can be seen more precisely in the MRT. MRI is therefore the method of choice, since not only can the type of tumor be better determined, but the location of the tumor can be shown very well. This in turn is very important for therapy planning. If an oligodendroglioma has now been detected, a biopsy is usually ordered. The malignancy of the oligodendroglioma can be determined by the biopsy.
Therapy
Therapy depends on the malignancy, size and location of the oligodendroglioma. The options for treating an oligodendroglioma range from chemo- and radiotherapy to surgery. As already mentioned in the introduction, there are different degrees of this tumor.It ranges from benign to very malignant, with the benign variants being much more common.
If the tumor is located in a place that is easy to reach and is only slightly malignant (grade I or II), surgery may be sufficient. In grade I, an operation can sometimes result in complete recovery, in grade II this is still possible, but less likely. If complete recovery is not achieved, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be prescribed after surgery.
If the tumor is very large or lies in an unfavorable location, it cannot always be operated on and must be pretreated with radiation or chemotherapy. Radiation or chemotherapy often reduces the size of the tumor and it can therefore be operated on afterwards. If the tumor is rather malignant, i.e. has a grade III or IV, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy is often used as a preliminary treatment. Whether surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy is preferred and whether these treatment options are combined depends on many factors and must be decided upon again and again. Apart from the type, location and size of the tumor, the age of the patient, the patient’s wishes and previous illnesses also play a role.
