Childhood Brain Lesions: 15 years Experience of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (1995-2010)

Pediatric age brain lesions can be of neoplastic and non-neoplastic nature, the latter include: congenital malformations, inflammatory processes, vascular and cystic lesions. One of most concerning brain pathology in childhood age is CNS tumors. Malignant brain tumors are the second most common type of pediatric cancer after leukemia. Cancer of the brain and central nervous system comprised 17% of malignancies in children younger than 20 years of age. In Saudi Arabia childhood CNS cancer accounted 11.3% of all childhood cancers. The current study presented the experience of King Abdulaziz University Hospital regarding Childhood Brain Lesions diagnosed over 15 years period (1995 to 2010) considering frequency, morphological pattern and the demographic data (age distribution and gender) of these lesions and further compared the findings with the national and international experience. A retrospective study conducted using a computerized search of the archives of Pathology Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah; from 1995 tell 2010 to retrieve all the brain cases inclusive of all brain regions. In 15 years period 71 cases (25.1%) out of total brain lesions (283 cases) were childhood brain lesions. Non-neoplastic lesions were 40.8% and neoplastic lesions were 59.2%. Congenital malformations (23.9%) were the commonest nonneoplastic brain lesions, while neuroepithelial tumors ranked first among neoplastic lesions and accounted for 25.4% of childhood brain lesions (CBL) in the study. The astrocytic tumors comprised the majority of the glial tumors (94.4%) with mean age of 8.3 years and M: F ratio 1.4:1. The pilocytic astrocytoma represented 64.7% of all astrocytic tumors. The second malignant tumor was embryonal tumors (medulloblastoma) and accounted for 18.3% of CBL with male predominance. In conclusion, a single institute experience was reported revealing that primary CNS tumors were the commonest brain lesions in the pediatric age. Furthermore, in concurrence with the national and international experience, astrocytic tumors ranked as first primary CNS tumor of childhood age, followed by medulloblastoma. [Hessa M. AlJhdali and Awatif A. Jamal. Childhood Brain Lesions: 15 years Experience of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (1995-2010). Life Sci J 2012; 9(2): 617-623]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 94