Descriptive epidemiology and surgical outcomes of intracranial tumors in southwestern uganda: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of published data on intracranial tumors in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), leaving the true epidemiology of these lesions unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a descriptive epidemiological analysis at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Southwestern Uganda to characterize histological patterns, patient demographics, surgical management, and discharge outcomes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study contains retrospective (2016 – 2020) and prospective (2021 – 2024) descriptive components from clinical records of patients with intracranial tumors. Histology reports were sourced from the Histopathology Unit at MRRH and a private facility, Surgpath Medical Consultants.

RESULTS

We included data from 364 patients with radiologically confirmed intracranial tumours between 2016 and 2024. The median age was 40 years (Interquartile range IQR: 24–54), and females were 51%. Overall, 92% of patients received Computed Tomography (CT) scans, and tumors were predominantly supratentorial (87% in adults; 61% in pediatrics). The majority (69%) underwent surgical intervention, with meningiomas as the most common histological subtype (33%), followed by adult-type diffuse gliomas (24%) and sellar region tumors (15%). Female preponderance correlated with the high proportion of meningiomas. No regional variation in histology was noted. Survival at discharge was higher among meningioma and benign tumors, with no significant variation by histology.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a high increasing number of intracranial operated tumors over the years in patients managed at a tertiary hospital in Southwestern Uganda, with demographic and histological patterns broadly comparable to global literature. The findings highlight the need for enhanced neuro-oncology capacity in SSA and serve as a baseline for future studies to improve patient outcomes.