J Korean Neurosurg Soc.
1997 Jul;26(7):980-988.
Statistical Analysis of 2,616 Primary Intracranial Tumors Diagnosed During the CT Era(1976-1995)
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- To investigate the incidence and pattern of occurrence of primary brain tumors in Koreans, 2,616 cases of histologically confirmed primary intracranial tumors, which were operated on in our department between 1976 and 1995, were reviewed. In all cases, age, sex, tumor type, location and date of diagnosis were recorded, and tumors were pathologically classified according to the WHO Histological Type of CNS tumors, revised in 1993. The tumors studied included all those within the intracranial region, except for vascular or infectious masses and epidermoid or dermoid cysts associated with congenital dermal sinus. The total number of adult patients was 2,232(85.3%), while the number of pediatric cases(below 16 years of age) was 384(14.7%). The mean age of the patients was 36.4 years, and the male : female ratio(M:F ratio) was 1 : 1.06. Common tumors were those involving neuroepithelial tissue(874 cases ; 33.4%), the sellar region(787 cases ; 30.1%), the meninges(572 cases ; 21.9%), cranial and spinal nerves(232 cases ; 8.9%), and germ cell tumors(GCT)(59 cases ; 2.3%). Meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, and schwannomas occurred at a higher rate in females(M:F ratio : 1:1.92,1:1.21,1:1.19, respectively). GCT, medulloblastomas, craniopharyngiomas, and hemangioblastomas, on the other hand, occurred more often in males (M:F ratio : 1:0.44, 1:0.46, 1:0.67, 1:0.72, respectively). Common pediatric tumors were astrocytic tumors (23.2%), medulloblastomas(19.3%), and craniopharyngiomas(11.2%). The age distribution of tumors was similar to that found in other epidemiologic studies. Between 1976 and 1993, with the introduction of computerized tomography(CT), the reported incidence of primary intracranial tumors has increased by an average of 13% annually. The relative incidences of pituitary adenoma, glioma, hemangioblastoma and primitive neuroecrodermal tumors(PNET) have increased since 1988, when magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) was installed in our hospital.
