Prospective analysis of incidence of central nervous tumors presenting in a tertiary cancer hospital from India

Excerpt

Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are rare neoplasms constituting 1–2% of all neoplasms [1]. They are however quite heterogeneous with a wide variety of primary tumors and a large number of secondary tumors. CNS tumors are the second commonest overall and the most common solid tumors in the pediatric population [1]. Approximately, 25% of all cancer related deaths in pediatric population occur due to CNS tumors [2]. CNS is also perhaps among the few sites where a significant number of patients with benign tumors are managed in the neuro-oncology practice. With the advent of refinements in the diagnostic, neuro-surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a greater understanding of biology, the outcomes of these tumors have improved over a period of time. There is also a greater recognition of incorporating ancillary expertise in the form of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation in the management paradigm for these patients. Against such a background, it is important to devise a system to impart tailored therapies for different patients and different tumor types. Organizing optimum management and care for these patients involving various health professionals and utilization and planning different material and human resources necessitates comprehensive and reliable data collection. The database should preferably be in a prospective manner to have accurate information about the demographic and clinical profile of patients. Such information is generally available in the most of the developed world. On the other hand, such information is scarcely available in the vast majority of the medium and low resource income countries. Lack of uniform and well-structured system of reporting cases have a distinct possibility of under reporting, even grossly in some instances. While some of these statistics may be available sometimes on a well to quasi-structured national systems, in many an instance, data from hospital-based practice may be lacking in many countries [3]. …