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Clinico-morphological pattern of intracranial tumors in children
S H Shah1, I N Soomro, A S Hussainy
1Department of Pathology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
Insights
Astrocytoma is the most common pediatric brain tumor, with the posterior cranial fossa being the most frequent tumor site. This study details histopathological patterns and tumor site correlations in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neuro-oncology
- Histopathology
- Neuropathology
Background:
- Intracranial tumors represent a significant health concern in pediatric populations.
- Understanding the histopathological patterns and anatomical distribution is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the histopathological characteristics of intracranial tumors in children under 15 years old.
- To correlate the location of these tumors with their histological diagnoses.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 54 pediatric intracranial tumor cases diagnosed over three years.
- Histological evaluation using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining.
- Special stains and immunohistochemistry were employed as needed.
Main Results:
- Astrocytoma was the most prevalent tumor type (39%), followed by medulloblastoma (18.6%) and ependymoma (13%).
- The posterior cranial fossa was the most common tumor location (43.5%).
- Medulloblastoma showed a higher incidence in males, while pilocytic astrocytoma was more frequent in females.
Conclusions:
- Astrocytoma is the leading pediatric brain tumor.
- Tumor location varies with histological type, with low-grade astrocytomas often found in the posterior fossa and high-grade astrocytomas in the supratentorial region.
Objective:
The objective of present study was to observe the histopathological pattern of intracranial tumors in children (< 15 yrs) and to correlate the site of lesion along with the histological diagnosis.
Setting:
The study included consecutive cases of intracranial tumors diagnosed in children (< 15 yrs.) in the section of histopathology at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi during the period of three years.
Methods:
The initial histological evaluation of these lesions was performed on H and E stained section of paraffin embedded tissue. Special stains and immunohistochemical analysis was done whenever indicated.
Results:
During the study period, fifty-four cases of intracranial tumors were diagnosed in children. The age ranged from 1-1/2 years to 4 years with male to female ratio of 1.1:1. Astrocytoma comprised 39% of all intracranial tumors of childhood. Medulloblastoma (18.6%) ranked the second most prevalent brain tumor followed by empendymoma (13%), oligodendroglioma 7.5% while non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, primitive neuroblastoma 3.7% and ganglioglioma 3.7% while non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors, mixed germ cell tumor, pineoblastoma, choroid plexus carcinoma and malignant meningioma constituted 1.8% each.
Conclusion:
Astrocytoma was the most common pediatric brain tumor. Medulloblastoma was more common in males while pilocytic astrocytoma was more frequent in females. Posterior cranial fossa was the most common site (43.5%) of pediatric brain tumors. Low grade astrocytoma was more prevalent in posterior cranial fossa as compared to high grade astrocytoma which was more frequent in the supratentorial region.