Is glioma a cancer?

  Glioma is a general term for malignant tumors that originate from glial and neuronal cells of the nervous system and is not cancer because it does not originate from epithelial cells.  According to the WHO grading standard for glioma, glioma can be classified into grade I-IV. Among them, grade I-II is low grade glioma, which has low malignancy and good prognosis; grade III-IV is high grade glioma, which has high malignancy and poor prognosis. The treatment for low-grade glioma is mainly surgery, which can directly remove tumor tissues and reduce the pressure inside the tumor, and improve the symptoms quickly and effectively. However, if the glioma is grade III-IV, the prognosis is very poor, the malignancy is high, it is difficult to eradicate, it is easy to recur after surgery, and the survival time of patients is often relatively short.  If seizures, sudden changes in personality, or loss of hearing or vision occur in daily life, patients should promptly visit a hospital neurosurgery department to investigate the possibility of glioma and maintain regular medical checkups for prevention in general.