Clinicopathological Findings and Five Year Survival Rates for Patients with Central Nervous System Tumors in Yazd, Iran

Background: The incidence rate of brain tumors has increased more than 40% in the past 20 years, especiallyin adults. We aimed to study the clinical and pathological findings of central nervous system (CNS) tumor patientsand to evaluate their 5 year survival rates. Materials and
Methods: The archives of all patients with CNS tumorsin 6 health care centers in Yazd, Iran, from 2006 to 2013, were studied. Patients data were extracted using achecklist which included age, sex, date of reference and diagnosis, date of death, clinical signs, radiographyfindings, pathology report, size and location of tumor, patient treatment and grade of tumor.
Results: A totalof 306 patient records were studied in the 8 year period. The most prevalent type of tumor was astrocytoma(n=113, 36.9%). The frequency of almost all tumor types was statistically higher in male patients (p=0.025). Inmost cases surgery with radiotherapy was the treatment of choice (49.3%). The most frequent symptom reportedwas headache (in 60.8% of patients) followed by convulsions (15.7%). Most of the tumors were located in theright hemisphere (46.1%) and the frontal and parietal lobe (26% and 12%, respectively). Radiography findingsdisplayed edema with a nonhomogeneous lesion in majority of the patients (87%). The survival fraction of thepatients with malignant tumors decreased over time (0.807 in the first year and 0.358 at the end of the 5th year).
Conclusions: Astrocytoma was the more common CNS tumor with male predominance. Overall survival ratesof malignant tumors decreased over time and this was in relation with tumor grade.