What is pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma?

Also known as: PXA.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma is a rare brain tumor that grows in the upper parts of the brain (cerebral hemispheres) from brain cells called astrocytes (a type of glioma), which form the brain’s supportive and nutritional network. It occurs equally in boys and girls (average age at diagnosis: 12 years) and is almost always benign, which means that it is non-cancerous.

On very rare occasions it can develop into a cancer.


Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM

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