Epidemiological profile and incidence of brain tumors in Kosovo

Abstract

Aim: Brain tumors (BT) are neoplasms developed in intracranial tissues and the meninges. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological features of brain tumors diagnosed and treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), the only healthcare institution in Kosovo that diagnosis and treats malignancies.   

Methods: A 3-year retrospective study (2019-2021) was carried out in the Neurosurgical Clinic, Radiology Clinic, and Institute of Pathology, of UCCK. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare age distribution between males and females.

Results: A total of 227 patients were treated for BT at the UCCK during the three-year period under investigation (that is 2019-2021). There were 119 males (52.4%) and 108 (47.6%) females. The incidence rate of BT for the year 2021 was 4.7/100,000 inhabitants. BT were most common in the age groups: >50 years (n=178, 78.4%), 25-50 years (n=33, 14.6%), whereas 13 cases (5.7%) were children from the age-group ≤14 years. Almost one third of the patients (33.9%) were from Prishtina region, followed by Peja region (18.5%) and Mitrovica region (13.2%). From the overall number of cases (n=227), 31.3% (n=71) were benign and 66.1% (n=150) were malignant tumors. The average age of brain tumor patients was 58.4±18.3 years. The most prevalent histological type of BT was meningioma WHO gr. I (n=57, 25.1%) followed by glioblastoma WHO gr. IV (n=43, 18.9%) with similar appearances in both genders. Most often, tumors had supratentorial/intra-axial localization (63.4%).

Conclusion: Adults over 50 years old represent the most affected age-group for BT in Kosovo. Meningioma, and glioblastoma were the most frequent BT in Kosovo adults. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term outcome of patients with BT in Kosovo.