Incidence of brain tumours

The tumours of the brain/central nervous system (CNS) are a mixed group of tumours, some of which are benign and some are malignant, the latter carrying a high risk of death. Following some general remarks, each group will be discussed in turn.

The incidence of tumours of the central nervous system is 10-15 per 100,000 and they account for approximately 2% of all deaths in Western society. Curiously, there is one age peak of incidence in youth (in the age range 5-10 years) and a second one in the sixth decade of life.

 

Of tumours presenting to a neurosurgical service in the U.K., and apparently as primary brain tumours, the breakdown by tumour types is as follows: glioma 45%, meningioma 15%, acoustic neuroma 8%, pituitary adenoma and craniopharyngioma 8%, metastases (i.e secondary spread of cancer which started outside the brain,- but here masquerading as primary brain tumours) as high as 15% and other rarer forms of primary brain tumour being up to 10%.