Tumors of the central nervous system in Taiwan, Republic of China.

A series of 1012 surgically removed tumors of the central nervous system from two hospitals in Taiwan were reviewed, tabulated, and compared to series from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Among gliomas, a relatively high incidence of glioblastomas was found in patients less than 20 years old. The percentage of meningiomas in the two hospitals was very high: 20.22% and 26.72%, respectively. Neurilemmomas, as reported from Japan and mainland China, were also more common than in the United States or Europe. Germinomas and teratomas were more frequent than in Western countries, but less so than in Japanese series. Pituitary adenomas constituted 21.8% of cases from the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, a percentage higher than that in any comparable series.