Ependymoma: an epidemiological perspective from a low- and middle-income country

Authors

  • Muhammad Usman Khalid The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan
  • Mashal Murad Shah The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan
  • Mohammad Hamza Bajwa The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan
  • Karim Rizwan Nathani Mayo Clinic,Rochester, USA.
  • Altaf Ali Laghari  Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Faraz Raghib  The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan
  • Saad bin Anis Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital, Lahore.
  • Naveed Zaman Akhunzada Rehman Medical Institute, Hayatabad, Peshawar,Pakistan
  • Sameen Siddiqi  The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan
  • Syed Ather Enam The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.11-S4-AKUB07

Abstract

Objective: To enumerate the burden of ependymoma in our region and identify the demographic, tumoural, surgical, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with ependymoma.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients admitted under neurosurgical service between January 1 and December 31, 2019. The inclusion criterion for the study was a histopathological diagnosis of the brain lesion. The experience of the ependymal brain tumours observed at the 32 participating sites in Pakistan is presented.

Results: A total of 2750 patients with brain tumours were seen in 2019 at our centres of whom 58(2.1%) had a histopathological diagnosis of ependymoma. The median age at diagnosis was nine (IQR= 4.5-24.5) years. The median time to surgery from date of radiological diagnosis was 38.5 (IQR= 4-93.8) days. The median KPS score at presentation was 70 (IQR= 60-80), and post-surgery was 90 (IQR= 70-100), showing an average increase of 20. Our population's overall mortality rate for ependymoma was 31.1%, with the 30-day mortality rate being 2.2% (lower than the 4.5% on average for all brain tumours in our cohort).

Conclusion: Ependymomas were predominantly found in the paediatric population in the presented cohort. While gender distribution and histopathological grading seemed to follow international trends, this study had a much higher mortality rate and a much lower gross total resection rate than centres in high-income countries.

Keywords: Ependymoma, Brain neoplasm, Retrospective study, Epidemiology, LMIC.

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Published

2022-12-15

How to Cite

Muhammad Usman Khalid, Mashal Murad Shah, Mohammad Hamza Bajwa, Karim Rizwan Nathani, Altaf Ali Laghari , Muhammad Faraz Raghib , Saad bin Anis, Naveed Zaman Akhunzada, Sameen Siddiqi , & Syed Ather Enam. (2022). Ependymoma: an epidemiological perspective from a low- and middle-income country. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 72(11), S46-S50. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.11-S4-AKUB07

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