Arega Gashaw, Hailu Daniel, Fikad Getasew, Nigusie Mulualem, Adam Haileyesus, Tirist Abenezer, Fekdau Adungha, Korones David N, Mohammedsaid Abdulkadir
Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
J Neurooncol. 2025 Jun 13. doi: 10.1007/s11060-025-05040-x.
BACKGROUND: Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in children. The global demographic and epidemiological trends indicate a significant increase in childhood and adolescent cancers, including pediatric brain tumors, in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries necessitating the dire need of multidisciplinary Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (PNO) teams to improve outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the patterns, clinical presentations, time to diagnosis (TD), and treatment provided to pediatric and adolescent patients with central nervous system tumors who were discussed at the pediatric neuro-oncology tumor board and treated by the neuro-oncology team at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (PHO) unit at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. It included all pediatric patients under 15 years old with primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors from December 2021 to May 2024. The study aimed to provide an overview of the sociodemographic characteristics of the children, clinical presentation, time to diagnosis, histopathology of the tumors, and treatment modalities recommended by the PNO tumor board. RESULTS: A total of two hundred ten patients with pediatric CNS tumors were discussed and reviewed at the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (PNO) Tumor Board during the study period. More than half of the patients (54.8%, n = 114) were males. The median age at diagnosis was 7 years, and nearly half of the patients (48.6%) were between 5 and 10 years old. The most common clinical presentations were headache (66.2%), vomiting (64.3%), visual symptoms (44.8%), and cerebellar symptoms (43.8%). The median time to diagnosis was 90 days (IQR 60-210), and 60% of the patients presented after three months of symptom onset of the disease. The most common pediatric CNS tumors were medulloblastoma and embryonal CNS tumors, accounting for 32.9% (n = 69), followed by astrocytic tumors; 30.0% (n = 63), craniopharyngiomas (14.0%), and ependymal tumors (11.4%). The main treatments offered by the PNO Tumor Board were a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy (33.8%), surgery alone (23.8%), and surgery with radiotherapy (21.4%). The PNO Tumor Board was primarily attended by pediatric hematology-oncology fellows, pediatric oncologists (90%), and neurosurgeons (86%). CONCLUSION: This study focused on analyzing the age distribution, clinical presentation, time to diagnosis, burden, and patterns of pediatric primary CNS tumors at the largest tertiary referral center in Ethiopia. It is imperative to prioritize educating healthcare professionals about the symptoms and signs of CNS tumors in children, promoting early diagnosis, facilitating timely referrals, and enhancing the effectiveness of the PNO tumor board. These measures should be considered essential aspects of care for children with CNS tumors.
背景:小儿中枢神经系统(CNS)肿瘤是最常见的实体癌,也是儿童癌症相关发病和死亡的主要原因。全球人口统计和流行病学趋势表明,低收入和中等收入国家,尤其是撒哈拉以南非洲国家的儿童和青少年癌症,包括小儿脑肿瘤显著增加,因此迫切需要多学科小儿神经肿瘤学(PNO)团队来改善治疗结果。 目的:本研究的主要目的是评估在埃塞俄比亚提库尔·安贝萨专科医院小儿神经肿瘤肿瘤委员会讨论并由神经肿瘤团队治疗的小儿和青少年中枢神经系统肿瘤患者的模式、临床表现、诊断时间(TD)和治疗情况。 方法和材料:这项回顾性横断面研究在埃塞俄比亚提库尔·安贝萨专科医院的小儿血液学和肿瘤学(PHO)科室进行。研究纳入了2021年12月至2024年5月期间所有15岁以下患有原发性中枢神经系统(CNS)肿瘤的小儿患者。该研究旨在概述儿童的社会人口学特征、临床表现、诊断时间、肿瘤的组织病理学以及PNO肿瘤委员会推荐的治疗方式。 结果:在研究期间,共有210例小儿中枢神经系统肿瘤患者在小儿神经肿瘤学(PNO)肿瘤委员会进行了讨论和审查。超过一半的患者(54.8%,n = 114)为男性。诊断时的中位年龄为7岁,近一半的患者(48.6%)年龄在5至10岁之间。最常见的临床表现为头痛(66.2%)、呕吐(64.3%)、视觉症状(44.8%)和小脑症状(43.8%)。诊断的中位时间为90天(四分位间距60 - 210),60%的患者在疾病症状出现三个月后就诊。最常见的小儿中枢神经系统肿瘤是髓母细胞瘤和胚胎性中枢神经系统肿瘤,占32.9%(n = 69),其次是星形细胞瘤,占30.0%(n = 63),颅咽管瘤(14.0%)和室管膜瘤(11.4%)。PNO肿瘤委员会提供的主要治疗方法是手术、放疗和全身化疗联合(33.8%)、单纯手术(23.8%)以及手术加放疗(21.4%)。参加PNO肿瘤委员会的主要人员是小儿血液学 - 肿瘤学研究员、小儿肿瘤学家(90%)和神经外科医生(86%)。 结论:本研究聚焦于分析埃塞俄比亚最大的三级转诊中心小儿原发性中枢神经系统肿瘤的年龄分布、临床表现、诊断时间、负担和模式。必须优先对医疗保健专业人员进行关于儿童中枢神经系统肿瘤症状和体征的教育,促进早期诊断,推动及时转诊,并提高PNO肿瘤委员会的有效性。这些措施应被视为儿童中枢神经系统肿瘤护理的重要方面。
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