Thank you for your question. Our moderator wondered if the nurse team could help. I am sorry to learn that you have been diagnosed with a granular cell astrocytoma (GCA). This must be a difficult situation for you.
As you probably know, granular cell astrocytoma’s are very rare. From what I can gather from the medical literature, some people with this type of brain tumour have been treated with radiotherapy. But I don’t know if it is likely to be a suitable treatment for you.
Many factors need to be considered when making decisions about treatment. The size and the position of the tumour is important, as is your general health. Brain radiotherapy can be very taxing and people who are not particularly fit might struggle with it.
You could ask for a second opinion about your situation. You do not have the automatic right to have a second opinion on the NHS, but people are not often refused when they ask about this. To get a second opinion you would need a medical referral from your own specialist or GP. We have some general information about this here.
I am sorry that I cannot be more specific, but I hope that this reply is of some use. If you have any other questions please contact us again. If you would like to telephone our Freephone number is 0808 800 4040. We are here from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm
