OTHR-16 UNVEILING THE GAMUT OF SKULL TUMORS: A CALL FOR COLLABORATIVE ONCOLOGICAL CARE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

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Abstract INTRODUCTION Primary and metastatic tumours of the skull are relatively rare and have variable histological characteristics. They have been reported to represent 0.8 to 1% of all bone tumours and majority were malignant with attendant morbidity and mortality. With the current advances in neurosurgical techniques, neuroimaging and improvement in histopathological diagnosis more cases are expected to be diagnosed and treated successfully. Only few studies in literature focused on the profile and outcome of skull tumours especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to unravel the spectrum of skull tumors and describe the profile and outcome of management of skull tumours in our centre. METHODOLOGY We retrospectively reviewed cases of skull tumours managed in our centre between July 2015 to March 2024. Clinical parameters and histological diagnoses were noted. Data analysed using spss version 25.0 IBM. RESULTS We found 69 cases of skull tumours, 21 (30.4%) were benign and 48 (69.6%) were malignant. Majority (54/69, 78.2%) were males, the mean age of presentation was 28 and 50 years for benign and malignant tumours respectively. 95.6% of cases were adults. All benign tumours were osteoma, the commonest primary malignant tumour was osteosarcoma (9/48) followed by fibrosarcoma (6/48), while the most common histological subtype of metastatic tumours was adenocarcinoma. There were 4 cases of malignant sino-nasal tumours invading the frontal skull. Tumours were mostly located in the vault (66/69). All benign tumour had good post-operative recovery and malignant were managed in conjunction with plastic surgeons and radio-oncologist. No post-operative mortality recorded. CONCLUSION Majority of skull tumours were malignant and were seen in adult males, cranial vault was more affected compared to skull base. Synergy in oncological care will improve outcomes of care of malignant skull tumors.