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The gliomas are a family of neoplasms that are thought to arise from astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, or their precursors the major nonneuronal cellular constituents of the central nervous system. In children and adults, gliomas constitute approximately two thirds of all primary brain tumors, and each year in the United States 20,000 patients are given a diagnosis of a glial neoplasm. Pilocytic astrocytomas, ependymomas, variants of astrocytomas (e.g., pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas), and gliomas of the brain stem predominate in children, whereas fibrillary astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas of the cerebral hemispheres and glioblastoma multiforme are the common glial tumors in adults.
Although
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