EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, CLINICAL PROFILE AND PROGNOSIS OF BRAIN TUMORS IN THE NEUROLOGY DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL POINT "G"

Objective To determine the frequency and clinical course of intracranial tumors in general and glioma in particular at the University Hospital Point G in Mali. Methods We conducted a prospective study from January 2009 to December 2011 in the Neurology Department of the University Hospital Point "G". We enrolled patient, regardless of age and sex, suffering from a suspected malignant intracerebral tumor evoked on medical imaging and seen in our neurology outpatient visits. Based on the brain imaging results, patients were classified according to the diagnoses evoked. Results Our patients (n=27) were 42.7 years old on average ranging from 10 to 84 years. The sex ratio was 4 males for one female. Motor deficit was the most frequent reason for outpatient visit in 66.7%. In total, eight (8) had glioblastomas, three (3) had metastases, two (2) had lymphomas, one (1) had an astrocytoma and another had a brainstem glioma, representing 2.2% of our hospital admission rate. The median duration between the onset of symptoms and the outpatient visit was 2.1 months [0.1-14.3]. The median length of survival after the diagnostic was 3.33 months [0.93- 17.63]. Therefore, four patients out of five benefited from a symptomatic treatment, 13 passed away and two (2) were lost to follow-up during the study period. Conclusion The prognosis of brain tumors mainly glioblastomas was very poor in our cohort. A concerted effort to stimulate brain tumor research is urgently needed to improve the management of these patients in Mali.