Glioma

A glioma is a type of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor that arises from glial cells. The most common site of involvement of a glioma is the brain, but they can also affect the spinal cord, or any other part of the CNS, such as the optic nerves.

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Gliomas are named according to the specific type of cell they derive from. The three main types of gliomas are astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and ependymomas, which are named for astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells, respectively. Mixed gliomas, such as oligoastrocytomas, contain cells from different types of glia.

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Central nervous system: The central nervous system (CNS) represents the largest part of the nervous system. Together with the peripheral nervous system, it has a fundamental role in the control of behaviour....

Tumor: See the article about cancer for the main article about malignant tumors....

Glial cell: Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia or simply glia, are non-neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and participate in signal transmission in the nervous system. In the human brain, glia are estimated to outnumber neurons by as much as 50 to 1....