Original Paper

Epidemiology of Gliomas in Israel: A Nationwide Study
Siegal Sadetzki^{a, f}, Leor Zach^b, Angela Chetrit^a, Dvora Nass^c, Chen Hoffmann^{d, f}, Zvi Ram^g, Menashe Zaaroor^{i, j}, Felix Umansky^{k, o}, Zvi Harry Rappaport^{f, l}, Avi Cohen^m, Uriel Wald^h, Sigmund Rothmanⁿ, Moshe Hadani<sup>e, f

a</sup>Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertner Institute,
^bOncology Institute,
^cPathology Department,
^dDiagnostic Imaging Department and
^eDepartment of Neurosurgery, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer,
^fSackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University,
^gDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, and
^hNeurosurgery Service, Assuta Hospital, Tel-Aviv,
ⁱDepartment of Neurosurgery, Rambam Health Care Campus, and
^jFaculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa,
^kDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem,
^lDepartment of Neurosurgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah-Tiqva,
^mDepartment of Neurosurgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, and
ⁿService of Neurosurgery, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel;
^oDepartment of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Neuroepidemiology 2008;31:264-269 (DOI: 10.1159/000165366)

  Key Words

• Glioma, incidence rates
• Descriptive epidemiology, Israel

  Abstract

Background: Glial brain tumors span a wide range of neoplasms with distinct clinical and histopathological features. This report presents the descriptive epidemiology of glial tumors by histological subtype and tumor behavior. Methods: The study population included all incident cases of glial tumors diagnosed in Israel during March 2001 to July 2003. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were calculated using the world population as a standard. Results: A total of 548 tumors were diagnosed, of which 520 had histological confirmation. The ASR of all adult (>20 years) glial tumors was 5.82/100,000 (7.11 for males; 4.75 for females, p < 0.001). The majority of tumors (78%) were classified as high grade; astrocytic tumors were the most frequent (85%), with glioblastoma multiforme accounting for 70% of them. A significant positive association was shown between age at diagnosis and grade. The highest ASR was seen for Europe- and-American-born, followed by Israeli, Asian and African-born individuals (6.78, 5.86, 4.94 and 3.84/100,000, respectively). Conclusions: In general, these results describing data of incident cases of pathologically validated glial tumors are consistent with previous reports. To enhance our understanding of these diseases, epidemiological studies should rely on well-defined histological tumor types, incorporating comprehensive information which will allow comparability between different groups of patients.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Siegal Sadetzki, MD, MPH
Head, Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Unit
Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center
IL-52621, Tel Hashomer (Israel)
Tel. +972 3 530 3262, Fax +972 3 534 8360,E-Mail siegals@gertner.health.gov.il

  Article Information

Received: July 14, 2008
Accepted: August 8, 2008
Published online: October 20, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 3, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 18