Descriptive Epidemiology of Ependymal Tumors in Gironde, France: Results from the Gironde Registry for the 2000–2018 Period

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The Gironde Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumor Registry, in collaboration with the French National Cancer Institute, is the largest population-based registry focused exclusively on primary CNS tumors in France and represents a population of 1.62 million. This report focuses on ependymal tumors to refine current knowledge and provide up-to-date data on the epidemiology of these rare tumors. <b><i>Material and Methods:</i></b> All of the ependymal tumors were extracted from the Gironde CNS Tumor Registry for the years 2000–2018. Demographic and clinical characteristics, incidence rates, and time trends as well as survival outcomes were analyzed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> One hundred forty-four ependymal tumors were retrieved, which represented 2.3% of all the CNS tumors recorded in the same period. Histological subtype was significantly dependent on age and topography in the CNS. The median age at diagnosis was 46 years. The annual incidence rates varied between 0.15/100,000 (2004) and 0.96/100,000 (2016), with a significant increase over the study period by 4.67% per year. Five-year and 10-year OS rates were 87% and 80%, respectively. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> An increase in the incidence of ependymal tumors was observed over the past two decades. Further studies are needed to confirm this result and provide etiological clues.