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Tumors of the Central Nervous System in Korea A Multicenter Study of 3221 Cases.

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Abstract

The Neuropathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists conducted a nationwide collection of central nervous system (CNS) tumors to evaluate the relative frequency in Korea of CNS tumors belonging to the revised World Health Organization (WHO) classification categories. A total of 3221 histologically proven cases of CNS tumors were collected from 13 institutes between 1997 and 1998. All the cases were classified according to the revised WHO histological types and analyzed for the relative frequency, the distribution of age and sex, and location of tumors. The most frequent type of CNS tumors in Korea was meningiomas, followed by pituitary adenoma, glioblastoma, astrocytoma, and schwannoma. Among the pediatric CNS tumors, pilocytic astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, germ cell tumors, and ependymomas were common types of tumors. Compared with a previous nationwide study, the rates for neuronal/glial tumors, glioblastoma, malignant lymphoma, and cystic lesion were increased, and the rate of embryonal tumors was decreased. The overall male to female ratio was 0.9 : 1, which may be attributed to the greater number of female-predominate meningiomas and pituitary adenoma. Compared with Western countries, Koreans had higher rates of pituitary adenoma and meningiomas and lower rate of gliomas. The relative frequency of CNS tumors among Koreans is very similar to that reported in Taiwan. The occurrence rates for various subtypes of CNS tumors in Korea are distinct from those in the United States and Europe and similar in many ways to those in Asian and Mexican population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Ilsan

    Yeon-Lim Suh

  2. Department of Pathology, Ewha Womans University, College of Medicine, Ilsan

    Heasoo Koo

  3. Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Ilsan

    Tai Seung Kim

  4. Department of Pathology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul

    Je G. Chi & Gheeyoung Choe

  5. Department of Pathology, Inje University College of Medicine, Ilsan

    Sung-Hye Park

  6. Department of Pathology, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul

    Shin Kwang Khang

  7. Department of Pathology, Chonnam National University, Medical School and Research Institute of Medical Science, Kwangju

    Min Cheol Lee

  8. Department of Pathology, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, Seoul

    Eun Kyung Hong

  9. Department of Pathology, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Taegu

    Yoon Kyung Sohn

  10. Department of Pathology, Korea University, College of Medicine, Seoul

    Yang Seok Chae

  11. Department of Pathology, Yeungnam University, College of Medicine, Taegu

    Dong Sug Kim

  12. Department of Pathology, Dong-A University, Medical College, Pusan

    Gi Yeong Huh

  13. Department of Pathology, Keimyung University, School of Medicine, Taegu

    Sang Sook Lee

  14. Department of Pathology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University, Seoul, Korea

    Youn Soo Lee

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  1. Yeon-Lim Suh
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  2. Heasoo Koo
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  3. Tai Seung Kim
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  4. Je G. Chi
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  5. Sung-Hye Park
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  6. Shin Kwang Khang
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  7. Gheeyoung Choe
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  8. Min Cheol Lee
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  9. Eun Kyung Hong
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  11. Yang Seok Chae
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  12. Dong Sug Kim
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  13. Gi Yeong Huh
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  14. Sang Sook Lee
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  15. Youn Soo Lee
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Suh, YL., Koo, H., Seung Kim, T. et al. Tumors of the Central Nervous System in Korea A Multicenter Study of 3221 Cases.. J Neurooncol 56, 251–259 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015092501279

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