STUDY OF INCIDENCE OF PEDIATRIC CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TUMORS

Introduction: CNS (central nervous system) tumors are the most common solid tumors in children. Tumors of the central nervous system can be divided into primary intracranial tumours that arise from parenchyma of brain, pituitary gland, covering of brain & secondary intracranial tumours which represent local extension from regional tumours or metastasis from primary malignancy in the body. The most common location of the brain tumours in childhood is below the tentorium within the posterior cranial fossa. Materials and methods: Fifty-eight surgical specimen of central nervous system of children (0 to 14 year of age group) received from August 2014 to July 2016, in the Tertiary care centre, Ahmedabad were studied with keeping the following features in mind: Age, Sex and site of tumours. Results: Fifty-eight cases of Central Nervous System Tumours between the age of 0 to 14 years over a period of 2 years at civil hospital, Ahmedabad were studied. Incidence were more common in male (60.34%) than female (39.66%). 89.65% of tumors were intracranial and 10.35% were intraspinal tumours. Commonly encountered tumour in descending order of frequency were Medulloblastoma (27.58%), astrocytoma (24.13%), Ependymoma (20.68%). All medulloblastomas arose infratentorial, schwannomas arose intraspinal and meningiomas in cranial cavity are supratentorial. Conclusion: CNS Tumors constitute a large proportion of cancers in childhood. They differ from adult CNS tumors both histologically and location wise. Site of the tumor is significant as it can lead to fatal consequences