Pathology · Nervous System · Medium
Astrocytoma
Meaning: Brain or spinal cord tumour arising from the star-shaped supporting glial cells of the nervous system.
In practice: An MRI scan revealed a low-grade astrocytoma in the child's cerebellum after months of headaches.
Word parts
- -oma means a lump, mass or tumour
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
Quick check
Two questions on related pathology words.
Which word means: Retention of cell nuclei in the outermost horny layer of the skin, indicating rapid cell turnover.
Answer: Parakeratosis
Which word means: Benign focus of compact bone lying within cancellous medullary bone, commonly called a bone island.
Answer: Enostosis
Words like astrocytoma come up in the daily game
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