Brother's unusual brain tumor

Posted By Cheryl on August 17, 1998 at 12:52:36:







Dear Doctor,
My 27 year old brother was diagnosed in July '98 with an anaplastic diffuse fibrillary astrocytoma.  He underwent resection surgery in July and will undergo another in September as there was another section of tumor that was not removed in July.  The surgeon (a very skilled man) seems unwilling to give a prognosis or tell the severity (if any) of this type of tumor.  I wish to know how severe the disease is and how I can best support my brother.  I have a general understanding from reading several articles on the internet that anaplastic astrocytoma is bad.  I have not found a prognosis for astrocytoma, could you give me an idea: and what do the other words mean (diffuse and fibrillary.)  How does this description affect the prognosis?
Thank you for your time,
Cheryl