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Medulloblastoma incidence has not changed over time: a CBTRUS study

Sonia Partap1, Emily K Curran, Jennifer M Propp

  • 1Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-5826, USA. spartap@stanford.edu

Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
|November 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Medulloblastoma (MB) incidence remained stable over two decades. However, combining medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) showed an increased incidence, likely due to improved classification.

Area of Science:

  • Neuro-oncology
  • Epidemiology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Previous studies on medulloblastoma (MB) incidence reported conflicting results.
  • Potential reasons for discrepancies include small sample sizes and misclassification of MB with primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To accurately determine the incidence of medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET).
  • To analyze trends in MB and PNET incidence from 1985 to 2002.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS).
  • Employed strict histologic and site codes for accurate case classification.
  • Analyzed population-based cancer registry data spanning 1985–2002.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant change in medulloblastoma (MB) incidence was observed over the 20-year period.
  • An increase in the combined incidence of medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) was detected.

Conclusions:

  • Medulloblastoma (MB) incidence has remained stable, suggesting no overall increase in this specific tumor type.
  • The observed rise in combined MB and PNET incidence may reflect improved diagnostic criteria and reduced misclassification over time.

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