ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of the present study was to study the histopathological pattern of intracranial tumours and to provide a comprehensive data about their frequency in adults and children less than 16 years and to correlate the site with histological diagnosis.Design: A descriptive studyPlace and duration of study: The study was carried out at the departments of Histopathology and Morbid Anatomy; Muhimbili National Hospital and Neurosurgery; Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in Tanzania; over a period of seven years (1998- October 2004).Patients and Methods: The histopathological data of 104 brain tumours of all adults and children less than 16 years histopathologically evaluated was performed on H et E stained sections of paraffin embedded tissue. Special stains were performed whenever indicated.Results: The ages ranged from 2 to 90 years with an overall mean of 34.4 years while that of children below 16 years was 9.5 years and in adults was 41.9 years. The male to female ratio was 1.2:1. Meningiomas comprised the largest category (51.9) and Glial tumours ranked the second (21.4) of primary brain tumours and among all gliomas astrocytomas were the commonest comprising of 16.4 of all intracranial neoplasms. Out of 104 brain tumours; 83(79.8) were supratentorial and 21(20.2) were infratentorial in location while in adults 72(84.7) were in supratentorial region and 13(15.3) were in infratentorial region. In children below 16 years; 11(57.9) and 8(42.1) were in supratentorial and infratentorial in location respectively. The most common tumour overall in both supratentorial and infratentiorial regions were meningiomas (53) and all were in WHO grade I. When age was taken in consideration; meningiomas remained the commonest supratentorial tumours in adult (56.9) while in children below 16 years; cranioparyngioma was the commonest supratentorial neoplasm (45.4). In children less than 16 years medulloblastoma and pilocytic astrocytoma were the commonest neoplasms in the infratentorial region (37.5 of each).Conclusion: Meningioma was the commonest intracranial tumour overall in both supratentorial and infratentorial locations. However medulloblastoma and pilocytic astrocytoma were the most common tumours in the infratentorial region in children below 16 years of age