Astrocytomas can occur anywhere in the brain but are most commonly located in the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain
This type of tumor comes from astrocytes, star-shaped cells,
Cells of Grade 2 tumors grow relatively slowly but there is a change in the tumor at this point. Grade 2 is usually considered “pre-cancerous,” cells may begin to invade the other normal tissue, and if surgically removed, may return as a higher grade tumor.
Grade 2 is by definition slow-growing and therefore not cancerous. However, for astrocytomas there is always the possibility of progression to a higher grade, which would then by considered cancerous.