Evidence-based clinical practice parameter guidelines for the treatment of adults with diffuse low grade glioma: introduction and methods

Excerpt

The general classification of “low grade glioma” typically describes a group of tumors originating from the central nervous system whose behavior is neither reliably benign (such as pilocytic astrocytoma) nor overtly aggressive (such as anaplastic astrocytoma or glioblastoma). For these clinical practice guidelines, diffuse low grade glioma will be defined as the WHO Classification grade II tumors specified as astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma or mixed oligoastrocytoma [1]. These relatively rare lesions in the adult population have estimated age adjusted rates per 100,000 of 0.58, 0.27, and 0.21, respectively [2]. Though uncommon, individuals affected by these lesions can develop substantial symptoms including seizures, mental status changes and severe focal neurologic deficits depending on the portion of the nervous system involved [3]. …