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Data from nine population-based cancer registries from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the United States were used to study the incidence of individual histologic types of malignant central nervous system tumors by age and sex among adults. On a log-log scale, incidence increased linearly between the ages 35 and 64, with a slope that was not different between males and females or among registries but that varied by histologic type. The estimated slopes were 0.4 for ependymomas, 1.0 for oligodendrogliomas, 1.7 for astrocytomas, 2.8 for meningiomas, and 3.9 for glioblastomas. The rate at which incidence increased with age was significantly higher for glioblastomas than for other glial tumors. This finding suggests a different mechanism of carcinogenesis for glioblastomas than for other glial tumors.

The authors analyze histologically verified cases of ependymoma and ependymoblastoma (malignant ependymoma) occurring in children in Connecticut from 1935 to 1973. Of the 488 central nervous system tumors diagnosed in that period, 44 (9%) of the 467 intracranial neoplasms and five (24%) of the 21 intraspinal tumors were of ependymal origin. An increase in the incidence of ependymomas was noted since the mid-1950's. The mean ages at diagnosis of ependymomas and ependymoblastomas were 5.6 and 5.0 years respectively. The male to female ratio was 0.6:1 for ependymomas and 1.7:1 for ependymoblastomas. Epencymomas were found above and below the tentorium with similar frequency; however, viturally all of the epencymoblastomas occurred supratentorially. Presenting symptoms and physical findings were reviewed. A significant difference (p less than 0.05) was noted in the seizure rates of supratentorial ependymomas (9%) and ependymoblastomas (38%). A significantly increased survival (p less than 0.05) was associated with supratentorial ependymal neoplasms relative to infratentorial from 42 months following diagnosis onward. Contrary tp the reports of no clinical difference between ependymomas and ependymoblastomas, children with supratentorial ependymomas were noted to have a significantly longer survival (p less than 0.05) than those with similarly situated ependymoblastomas, with the difference noted from 18 months following diagnosis onward. The children treated by operation and irradiation had a significantly greater survival (p less than 0.05) than those treated by other methods; furthermore, with this treatment, longer survivals were noted in the ependymoma patients as compared to those with epencymoblastomas. This difference became significant (p less than 0.05) at 27 months after diagnosis. Operative mortality decreased from 40% to 17% in the last decade of the study as compared to the previous decade. Steroid therapy may have contributed to this decreased operative mortality, but it had no statistically significant effect on length of survival. The clinical course of intracranial ependymal neoplasms in adults and children was compared and appeared to be essentially the same.

A series of 1012 surgically removed tumors of the central nervous system from two hospitals in Taiwan were reviewed, tabulated, and compared to series from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Among gliomas, a relatively high incidence of glioblastomas was found in patients less than 20 years old. The percentage of meningiomas in the two hospitals was very high: 20.22% and 26.72%, respectively. Neurilemmomas, as reported from Japan and mainland China, were also more common than in the United States or Europe. Germinomas and teratomas were more frequent than in Western countries, but less so than in Japanese series. Pituitary adenomas constituted 21.8% of cases from the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, a percentage higher than that in any comparable series.

Twenty-nine primary intraspinal neoplasms in children observed between 1936 and 1975 in Connecticut are reviewed. Most of them were gliomas: 45 per cent astrocytoma, 24 per cent ependymal neoplasm, 10 per cent glioblastoma multiforme and 7 per cent glioma. Symptoms, physical findings and therapy are reviewed.

From 11 North American veterinary university hospitals and clinics, 248 animals were a confirmed diagnosis of nervous-tissue tumor were identified; 7 tumors were found in cattle, 28 in horses, 14 in cats, 199 in dogs, and none in other species. Tumors were divided for analysis into three categories-glial, meningeal, and peripheral nerve. In cattle and horses, all tumors involved peripheral nerves, the risk of which, in horses, reached a plateau at 4-6 years of age and remained constant thereafter. In cats, the tumors were equally distributed among the three tumor categories whereas, in dogs, twice as many glial tumors as meningeal and peripheral nerve tumors were found. The risk for glial tumors in dogs reached a peak at 10-14 years of age, for meningeal at 7-9 years, and for peripheral nerve at 2-3 and 7-9 years. Three canine breeds-English bulldog, boxer, and Boston terrier-had an excessive rish of glial tumors. Except for an excess of skin tumors in dogs with peripheral nerve tumors, there was no unusual occurrence with second primary neoplasms for any species. There was no detectable predisposition by sex for any of the categories of nervous-tissue tumors among any of the four species. The role of genetic abnormalities associated with nervous-tissue tumors and other etiologic factors (e.g., chronic hypoxia) may be clarified by further studies involving canine breeds of "bulldog" ancestry.

Space-occupying lesions occurring in the spinal cord, its covers and in the neighbouring vertebral column are reviewed with consideration to their favourite site and the patients age and sex. The main tumor types are described with special reference to the literature and a comparison is made to the findings of specific tumors when occurring intracranially.