Highlights from International Neuroscience Meetings

s Neuro-oncology Primary brain tumors in the Eastern province: 3 years data analysis from King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Dammam Mahmoud Taha, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Objective: This is a retrospective review of all cases of brain tumors treated at King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam, which is the only Oncology center in the Eastern province. All cases are usually reviewed by the neurooncology MDT. The objective is to assess the incidence of different types of primary brain tumors in adult and pediatrics groups. The results are compared with the 2007 Saudi cancer registry and old historical data. Design: Retrospective case note review. Methods: The following information was recorded in a spreadsheet: patient age, gender, pathology, location, and treatment offered (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy). The study covers the period from September 2009 to September 2012 (3 years). Results: We have 137 cases of primary tumors: 101 adults and 36 pediatrics cases. GBM in adults and medulloblastoma in children are the most common pathologies. We estimate that around 50-70% of expected brain cancers cases are treated in our center; the remaining are either treated in Riyadh hospitals or abroad. Conclusion: In comparison with old historical data (late 1980’s and early 1990’s); there is an increase in the number of cases treated in the Eastern province with regards to the population. There are also new pathologies diagnosed in our study, which were not recorded previously due to modern imaging or new WHO classification of brain tumors. The 7th Annual Meeting of the Saudi Association of Neurological Surgeons “Towards Different Neurosurgery” King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, April 2-4, 2013