Introduction Intracranial tumors (ICTs) are a diverse group of malignancies that pose an immediate threat to patients' lives, no matter their local or metastatic origin, benign or malignant nature. These lesions have severe clinical courses and need to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, with pathological verification being the pivotal moment in the process of determining curative modalities. Aim The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of histologically confirmed ICTs in Eastern Bulgaria, based on their type (primary, metastatic, and non-volume occupying lesions (NVOL)), their respective subtypes, and incidence in a descriptive manner. Materials and Methods For a period of five full calendar years (January 1st, 2012 - December 31st, 2016), all histologically confirmed cases of intracranial tumors were prospectively collected from two individual tertiary healthcare institutions. The cases were then statistically analyzed in a descriptive manner, and incidences of primary, metastatic, and NVOL were compared with regards to their specific origins, types, and subtypes. Metastatic tumors were further segregated relative to their intracranial metastatic location. Results The total number of individual ICTs registered in the set timeframe was 822. Primary ICTs represented a total of 66.12% of the histologically confirmed cases, with the most common entries being tumors from a glial and meningeal origin, 30.90% were histologically confirmed as metastatic ICTs, from which the most common entries were of pulmonary origin, and the other 2.94% were NVOL. On behalf of their intracranial metastatic location, metastatic tumors were located predominantly in the supratentorial region, represented as a total of 87.80%, while the other 12.20% were located in the subtentorial region. Based on the descriptive analysis, the annual incidence per 100,000 capita of all ICTs is 9.12, comprised of 6.03 per 100,000 for primary ICTs, 2.82 per 100,000 for metastatic ICTs, and 0.27 per 100,000 for NVOL. The annual incidence of the most commonly diagnosed primary ICTs per 100,000 is 2.36 for meningioma, 2.03 for glioblastoma, and 0.48 for pituitary adenoma. The annual incidence of the most commonly diagnosed metastatic ICTs per 100,000 is 1.32 for lung cancer metastases, 0.28 for gastrointestinal tract (GIT) metastases, 0.22 for melanoma, and 0.17 for breast cancer metastases. Conclusion Based on our results, primary ICTs are operated and biopsied more than two times as much as metastatic ICTs and only a small fraction of neurosurgical interventions are undertaken due to NVOL. Metastatic ICTs are predominantly supratentorial with no evidence of a tumor predominantly metastasizing in the subtentorial region. The demographics reported in the study establish some aspects of age and gender preferences, as well as the annual incidence per 100,000 for the most commonly diagnosed types of ICTs in our population.
Keywords: cancer demographics; cancer epidemiology; cns; descriptive statistics; intracranial metastases; intracranial tumors; non-tumor volume occupying lesions.