Original Paper

Survival Analysis of 81 Children with Primary Spinal Gliomas: A Population-Based Study
Jen-Ho Tseng^a, Ming-Yuan Tseng<sup>b

a</sup>Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;
^bAcademic Department of Neurosurgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK

Address of Corresponding Author

Pediatric Neurosurgery 2006;42:347-353 (DOI: 10.1159/000095564)

  Key Words

• Cancer Registry
• Primary spinal glioma
• Spinal tumor
• Survival analysis

  Abstract

Primary spinal gliomas are rare. Most clinical studies are based on single centers with small numbers of patients and limited length of follow-up. Because data from the Cancer Registry cover larger numbers of patients and longer durations of follow-up, our objective was to define prognostic factors that might predict the survival at a national population level. From 1971 to 1995, data of 81 children (age <15 years) with primary spinal gliomas from the Cancer Registry of England and Wales were analyzed. Median survival and crude survival rates in respect of 7 variables (age, sex, morphology, WHO grade, socioeconomic status, geographical region, and period of diagnosis) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox regression was performed for estimating hazard ratios (HR) for death. Results showed that the 1-, 5-, and 10-year crude survival rates for this population were 72.84, 60.49, and 58.0%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that only morphology (HR 2.79 for nonependymoma, p = 0.05) and WHO grade (HR 6.74 for high grade, p = 0.01) were significant prognostic factors. Results from this population-based study are very helpful for comparison with other population-based studies and for public health purposes.

Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Ming-Yuan Tseng, MD, MPhil, MSc
Box 167, Academic Department of Neurosurgery
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road
Cambridge CB2 2QQ (UK)
Tel./Fax +44 1223 410 634, E-Mail myt22@cam.ac.uk

  Article Information

Received: October 6, 2005
Accepted: January 23, 2006
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 4, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 29