Histopathological spectrum and clinicopathological profile of surgically treated central nervous system tumors at Assiut University Hospital: a 10-year retrospective study

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Background Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are histologically and clinically heterogeneous neoplasms. Epidemiological data from Egypt remain limited, especially for Upper Egypt. Objective To describe the frequency, anatomical distribution, and histological spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) tumors managed surgically at Assiut University Hospital from 2011 to 2020, stratified by age and sex. Methods This retrospective descriptive study reviewed neurosurgery and pathology archives from January 2011 to December 2020. We included patients who underwent surgery with histopathological confirmation. Tumors were classified using the WHO Classification of CNS Tumors 2016 and coded with ICD-O-3 topography and morphology codes. Associations were tested using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results We analyzed 1404 CNS tumors, comprising 1333 primary and 71 metastatic tumors. The mean age was 41.3 ± 17.7 years, and the median age was 43 years. Female patients accounted for 57.4% of cases. Meningioma was the most frequent tumor at 39.4%, followed by glioma at 27.7%. In pediatric patients, glioma (47.5%) and embryonal tumors (28.2%) predominated. Malignant tumors comprised 34.3% overall and 59% of pediatric cases. In multivariable analysis, male sex ( p < 0.001), pediatric age ( p < 0.001), elderly age ( p = 0.002), and cranial location ( p < 0.001) were independently associated with malignancy. Conclusion This 10-year series reflects the surgical caseload of CNS tumors in a large tertiary center in Upper Egypt. Meningiomas predominated overall, with female patients most commonly affected, whereas gliomas and embryonal tumors predominated in pediatric cases. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that male sex, pediatric age, elderly age, and cranial location were independently associated with malignant behavior in this surgical cohort.