Histopathological Profile of Brain Tumors: A 12-year Retrospective Study from Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: The objective of this study is to characterize the histopathological types and basic demographic parameters of brain tumors in the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia and to analyze and compare the findings with previously published literature.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, King Fahad Hospital, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and comprised cases of brain tumors during 12 years (from January 2006 to December 2017). Basic demographic data, tumor site, and histopathological patterns were obtained from the medical records and further analyzed and graded according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 classification.

Results: A total of 227 brain tumors in 122 (53.7%) males and 105 (46.3%) female patients were recorded. Pediatric and adult patients accounted for 10.6% and 89.4% of the cases, respectively. The predominant age group affected was between 40 and 49 years (23.5%). The most common histopathological diagnosis in the present study was meningioma (30.8%), followed by astrocytic tumors (29.1%), metastatic tumors (7.7%), and embryonal tumors (6.6%). The meningothelial meningioma was the most common type of meningioma (48.5%). The majority of astrocytic tumors (52%) fell under the WHO Grade IV.

Conclusion: This retrospective study established a baseline profile of brain tumors based primarily on the histopathological experience at a tertiary care hospital in the Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and provides an initiating platform to workup for future population targeted studies on brain tumors.