Oligoastrocytoma

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A brain tumor composed of both oligodendrocyte and astrocyte cells, it is classified as a neoplasm within the central nervous system
2. This neoplasm is characterized by the presence of mixed glial cells, including oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, leading to a specific brain tumor type
3. A type of brain neoplasm that consists of a mixture of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, contributing to the growth of tumor tissue in the central nervous system

Etymology: Oligoastrocytoma is a modern medical coinage, built from three Greek-derived pieces that were each put together for a new purpose. "Oligo-" comes from the Greek "oligos," meaning "few" or "little," and in medicine it signals a smaller quantity of something. "Astro-" comes from the Greek "astron," meaning "star," and refers to astrocytes, the star-shaped support cells of the nervous system. The ending "-cytoma," from Greek "kytos" (hollow vessel, later cell) plus "-oma" (a tumour), names a tumour made of cells. Put together, the name describes the tumour's composition: a growth made of a few cells of one type mixed with astrocyte-like cells. Here "oligo-" points to the oligodendrocyte component, the other type of glial cell that makes up the tumour. The name therefore records a mixed cell population in a single word, rather than describing a star or a small number of anything in the everyday sense.