Survival of nervous system tumors in a Colombian population cancer registry

TL;DR

This study analyzed survival rates of central nervous system tumors in Colombia, finding that factors like age, sex, and tumor type significantly affect outcomes.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into CNS tumor survival in a Latin American population using a large registry dataset.

Findings

Glioblastoma had the worst 5-year survival rate at 20.9%.

Age ≥60 years and male sex were significant predictors of poorer survival.

Tumor differentiation and histological subtype strongly influenced prognosis.

Abstract

Primary tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are rare, but they carry high morbidity and mortality. In Latin America, information on survival is limited. This study aimed to identify factors associated with survival of CNS tumors in a Colombian population.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted with data from the Population Cancer Registry of the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga, including cases diagnosed between 2003 and 2017. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models. Overall survival at 5 years and hazard ratios (HR) were estimated.

A total of 1126 patients were included, with a median age at diagnosis of 55 years. 60.04% were malignant neoplasms. The most frequent histological subtypes were glioblastoma (27.9% of malignant tumors) and meningioma (80.3% of benign tumors). In total, 67.58% died, with 21.6 years of life lost per patient. Overall survival at 5 years was 57.5%. Malignant tumors had a survival rate of 39.6%. Glioblastoma had the worst prognosis (20.9% survival; HR 9.64; p < 0.001). Other significant predictors were: age ≥ 60 years (HR 1.92; p < 0.001), male sex (HR 1.37; p < 0.001), undifferentiated/anaplastic grade (HR 7.46; p < 0.001). No significant association was found between survival and socioeconomic status or type of insurance.

In this cohort, the prognosis of CNS tumors was associated with age, sex, tumor behavior, histological subtype, location, and degree of differentiation. The premature mortality highlights the need to improve diagnostic accuracy and strengthen population registries with clinical and genetic data.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11060-025-05313-5.

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