Retrospective analysis of intracranial and intraspinal space-occupying lesions at a tertiary care center: A 5-Year study

Abstract

Background: Incidence of central nervous system (CNS) tumors is 2% of all malignancies. Low-grade tumors progress to high-grade tumors. CNS is a common site for metastasis from other organs. Aims: The aim is to study the incidence of various lesions in light of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the CNS, 2016, and to study relevant statistics. Objectives: The objective of this study is to provide an overview of intracranial and intraspinal space-occupying lesions at a single tertiary care referral center. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 cases were studied. Intraoperative diagnosis was desired in 70 cases. The final diagnoses in all the cases were made by routine histopathology. Results: Neoplastic lesions comprised 83.88%, including metastatic tumors, while 16.12% were nonneoplastic. Classification and grading of CNS tumors was done according to the WHO, 2016. Astrocytic tumors constituted the largest category. Incidence was more in females than males and in the fifth and sixth decades of life. Conclusion: This study highlights histological diversity of CNS tumors in adults and children. The most common destructive but nonneoplastic lesions such as infections/abscesses, infarcts, and cysts can be diagnosed, by crush cytology and frozen section for the definitive management.