[Incidence of glioblastoma multiforme in Aragon and La Rioja. An epidemiological survey]

The aim of this work has been to evaluate the epidemiologic data in a series of 157 patients operated for glioblastoma multiforme in Aragón and La Rioja, during a period of 15 years. We haven't analyzed the cases that weren't operated on, because of the localization of the tumor or the bad situation of the patient. All the patients have an anatomopathologic confirmation. We have studied a total of 795 patients operated for a cerebral or cerebellar tumor. The glioblastoma multiforme was the third type of tumor in frequency, after the meningioma and the astrocytoma. In the different groups of age the peak incidence was between the 50 and 59 years old, followed the group between 60 to 69. 153 cases appeared in adults and only 4 cases were found below the age of 20. The right hemisphere was the most frequently affected. Males were more often affected than females, with 96 cases (61.14%) in males and 61 cases (38.85%) in females. We couldn't find a significative relation between the presence of the tumor and the profession or another personal antecedent of the patients.