Histopathology of Brain Tumours in the African in Kenya.

Abstract

This is a histopathological review of ninety-seven brain tumours from ninety-seven Africans seen over the last 4 years (1968-71). Sixty-nine came from the Neurosurgical Unit of the Kenyatta National Hospital, through the routine surgical service and nine from H. H. Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi. Ten were autopsy cases. Eighty-seven were primary intracranial neoplasms, the majority of which were gliomas (thirty-nine) followed by meningiomas (twenty-four). Sella turcica tumours formed a substantial group of six craniopharyngiomas, seven pituitary adenoma s and one metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Four of the ten metastatic tumours arose from tissues in the neighbourhood of the skull and locally infiltrated the brain. Astrocytic and meningeal tumours occurred almost equally frequently in females and males. The other, including the metastatic ones, showed a conspicuous male predilection. Age distribution varied markedly in different tumours. This study confirms the observation by Odeku & Janota (1967) that 'primary intracranial neoplasms are not so rare in Africans', and further illustrates the similarity, in pattern, to series reported from non-Africans.