Central nervous system tumors in children.

Of 488 central nervous system neoplasms occurring in children over a 39-year period, 467 were intracranial and 21 were intraspinal. The most common intracranial neoplasms were astrocytoma (28%), medulloblastoma (25%), ependymal neoplasm (9%), craniopharyngioma (9%), and glioblastoma multiforme (9%). The median age at diagnosis was 6 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1.3:1. Overall mean survival was 53.4 months and varied greatly relative to the type of tumor and the location. Of the intraspinal neoplasms the most frequently noted were the astrocytoma (47%) and the ependymal neoplasma (24%). The median age at diagnosis was 10 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. The average survival from diagnosis (54.1 months) was comparable to that of intracranial neoplasms. Detailed analyses of each histological type of tumor relative to age at diagnosis, sex, anatomical location and survival from diagnosis are reported for both intracranial and intraspinal neoplasms.