<unk> s arise from neoplastic astrocytes, a type of glial cell found in the central nervous system. They may occur anywhere in the brain, or even in the spinal cord, but are most commonly found in the cerebral hemispheres. As the alternative name "diffuse astrocytoma" implies, the outline of the tumour is not clearly visible in scans, because the borders of the neoplasm tend to send out tiny microscopic<unk>  tentacles that spread into the surrounding brain tissue. These tentacles intermingle with healthy brain cells, making complete surgical removal difficult. However, they are low-grade tumors, with a slow rate of growth, so patients commonly survive longer than those with otherwise similar types of brain tumours, such as glioblastoma multiforme.
Fibrillary astrocytoma
Diktyoma
Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma
Oligoastrocytoma
Neurothekeoma
Pilocytic astrocytoma
Anaplastic astrocytoma
Giant-cell glioblastoma