Glioma

Print it and bring it. Write on it — the margins are wide on purpose. The questions on the last pages are the part clinicians tell us patients most often forget to ask, so tick the ones you want answered before you go in.

This page is first because it matters most. If any of these is happening, contact your care team, an urgent care line, or emergency services — do not wait for a scheduled appointment.

Start with the report vocabulary — type, grade, markers — because everything else in your care follows from it.

Eighteen of the 265 terms in the full dictionary — the ones most likely to appear on a report or be said in a consultation.

Glioma

A glioma is a tumor that arises from the glial cells of the brain or spinal cord, the most common type of primary brain tumor.

Brain tumor

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in or around the brain, which may be benign or malignant and may begin in the brain or spread from elsewhere.

Primary brain tumor

A primary brain tumor is one that begins in the brain itself, as opposed to spreading there from cancer elsewhere; gliomas are primary brain tumors.

Metastatic (secondary) brain tumor

A metastatic brain tumor is cancer that has spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body, distinct from a glioma, which begins in the brain.

Central nervous system (CNS) tumor

A central nervous system tumor is a tumor of the brain or spinal cord, the category that includes gliomas under the WHO classification.

Glial cells

Glial cells are the supportive cells of the nervous system that surround and assist neurons, and the cells from which gliomas arise.

Neoplasm

A neoplasm is an abnormal, excessive growth of cells, the general medical term for a tumor, including gliomas.

Benign versus malignant (brain tumors)

Benign and malignant describe whether a tumor is non-cancerous or cancerous, though in the brain even benign tumors can cause problems by their location.

Diffuse glioma

A diffuse glioma is a glioma that infiltrates surrounding brain tissue, the most common and clinically important category of glioma in adults.

Circumscribed glioma

A circumscribed glioma is a glioma with relatively well-defined borders that does not widely infiltrate the brain, often more amenable to surgery.

WHO Classification of CNS Tumors

The WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System is the international standard system for naming, grouping, and grading brain and spinal cord tumors, including gliomas.

WHO CNS5 (2021 classification)

WHO CNS5 is the 2021 fifth edition of the brain tumor classification, which for the first time integrates molecular markers into how gliomas are defined and graded.

Tumor grade

Tumor grade is a measure of how aggressive a tumor is expected to be, based on its appearance and molecular features, central to predicting glioma behavior.

WHO grade (1–4)

WHO grades 1 to 4 indicate increasing aggressiveness of a glioma, with grade 1 the least aggressive and grade 4 the most aggressive.

Low-grade glioma

A low-grade glioma is a slower-growing glioma (generally grade 1 or 2), often with a more favorable outlook than high-grade gliomas.

High-grade glioma

A high-grade glioma is a faster-growing, more aggressive glioma (generally grade 3 or 4), which requires prompt and intensive treatment.

Histopathology (histology)

Histopathology is the examination of tumor tissue under a microscope, a foundational step in diagnosing and grading gliomas.

Integrated (layered) diagnosis

An integrated diagnosis combines microscopic and molecular findings into a single, precise glioma diagnosis, the standard approach in the modern WHO system.

Tick what you want answered. Appointments move fast — a written list is the difference between leaving with answers and leaving with new worries.

Independent organisations that support people with this condition. AURORA is not affiliated with any of them and does not receive anything for listing them.