Abstract Background Pediatric gliomas face diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in low-resource settings. This study analyzes the clinico-demographics profile of pediatric gliomas in a resource-limited setting. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 23 pediatric patients diagnosed with gliomas between 2019 and 2024. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The clinicodemographic features and surgical outcomes are summarized in Table 1. The most common presenting symptoms were nausea/vomiting (61%) and headache (56.5%). The high-grade tumor had higher rates of seizures (37.5% vs. 13.3%), cranial nerve palsies (25.0%), and higher mean leukocyte counts (16,023 vs. 9,497/µL, N = 15) and neutrophil percentages (78% vs. 61%, N = 15) than low-grade lesions. However, correlation analysis revealed that the preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), anemia ( 26 %, N = 18), and hyponatremia ( 17 %, N = 18) did not significantly predict hospital duration ( p 0.05 ). Conclusion Beyond clinical gaps, families face financial burdens that dictate management choice. Strengthening neuro-oncological infrastructure must be paired with financial support systems and multidisciplinary care to improve long-term survival and treatment adherence in LMIC settings.
Karki et al. (Tue,) studied this question.