Current diagnosis and treatment of oligodendroglioma

The strategies used to diagnose and treat oligodendroglial tumors have changed significantly over the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to review the topic of oligodendroglioma, emphasizing the new developments.

Information was obtained by conducting a Medline search in which the term oligodendroglioma was used. Recent editions of standard textbooks were also studied. Because of tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, oligodendrogliomas are being diagnosed earlier, and they are being recognized more frequently histologically than in the past. Seizures are common in these patients. Functional mapping and image-guided surgery may now allow for a safer and more complete resection, especially when tumors are located in difficult areas. Genetic analysis and positron emission tomography may provide data that supplement the standard diagnostic tools. Unlike other low-grade gliomas, patients in whom residual or recurrent oligodendroglioma (World Health Organization Grade II) is present may respond to chemotherapy. Although postoperative radiotherapy prolongs survival of the patient, increasingly this therapeutic modality is being delayed until tumor recurrence, especially if a gross-total tumor resection has been achieved. Oligodendrogliomas are the first type of brain tumor for which "molecular" characterization gives important information. The most significant finding is that allelic losses on chromosomes 1p and 19q indicate a favorable response to chemotherapy.

Whereas surgery continues to be the primary treatment for oligodendroglioma, the scheme for postoperative therapy has shifted, primarily because of the lesion's relative chemosensitivity. Molecular characterization of oligodendrogliomas may become a standard practice in the near future.