If neurons in the central nervous system lack centrioles and are unable to divide, how do brain tumors develop?
Answers
A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain that can disrupt proper brain function.
There are over 120 types of brain tumours, so I shall limit this discussion to the most common type: the astrocytomas.
An astrocytoma (Greek astron = "star" + kytos = "cell" + -oma = "tumour") is a tumour Other supportive cells of the brain include oligodendrocytes (Greek oligo = "a few " dendron = "tree") and ependymal (Greek ependyma = "an upper garment") cells.
Collectively, these cells are known as glial (Greek glia = "glue") cells.
Tumours that arise from the glial tissue, which occupies half the volume of the brain, are called gliomas.
The most common and the most aggressive astrocytomas are glioblastomas (Greek blastos = "germ").
Their characteristic feature is necrosis (Greek necrosis = death) of the cells and proliferation of blood vessels around the tumor.named after astrocytes, the star-shaped cells from which they grow.
Approximately 50% of astrocytomas are glioblastomas.
They are difficult to treat, and few patients survive much beyond 17 weeks without treatment.