Increasing Annual Incidence of Primary Malignant Brain Tumors in the Elderly

Abstract

Between 1973 and 1985, total age-adjusted cancer incidence in the United States (all races, men and women) rose by 10.7%, with an average annual percentage change of +0.9%. Analysis of reported age-specific incidence of primary malignant brain tumors over the same years demonstrates that incidence rates increased dramatically between 1973/1974 and 1985. In 1985, incidence rates for persons aged 75-79, 80-84, and 85 years of age and over were 187%, 394%, and 501%, respectively, of rates in 1973/1974. Similar increases were found in both men and women, analyzed separately and combined. Average annual percentage changes in primary brain tumor incidence were +7.0%, +20.4%, and +23.4% in these age ranges, respectively. Reported incidence in younger persons varied little over the same period of time. The most common histologic type of primary brain tumor in the elderly was of glial origin, predominantly the glioblastoma multiforme and astrocytoma. These tumors are highly malignant and invariably fatal. Two possible causes may explain the increased incidence in the elderly: the introduction and extensive use of x-ray computed tomography since 1973 and/or a true increase in incidence occurring independently of diagnostic advances.

Will primary central nervous system lymphoma be the most frequent brain tumor diagnosed in the year 2000?

“…Consequently, the Age specific brain lymphoma incidence rates (Table 1) increased among persons younger than 60 years rising incidence of brain lymphoma cannot be attributed to overall trends in NHL 9 or glial neoplasms. 16 as well as among persons age 60 years and older. These trends were also preserved when the analysis was exThe persistent question of an artifactual increase in the diagnosis of brain lymphoma secondary to impanded to include never married males (Table 2).…”

The incidence of cerebral glioma in the working population: a forgotten cancer?

“…It could also be due either to a genuinely higher regional incidence in Lothian or to an increase in incidence of glioma over the last two decades. There does appear to have been an increase of 1-2% a year in the incidence of brain tumours over the past 30 years in many countries (Muir et al, 1994), and this increase may be significantly higher in the elderly (Greig et al, 1990). The extent to which these increases in incidence are due to improved case ascertainment remains uncertain.…”

Head Trauma and Epilepsy as Medical Risk Factors in the Development of Brain Tumors in Albania

“…They represent an unusual group neoplasms regarding incidence, however, they represent a common form of death from cancer, representing approximately 3.5 % of the deaths from cancer [4]. Finally, an increased incidence of tumors of the CNS was reported by many studies [1,5,6]. A part of this increase in incidence can be attributed to improvements of diagnostic techniques; however, probably real growth of brain tumors was attributed to increased number of risk factors and the duration of their exposure.…”