Incidence of Brain Tumors:
Estimated number of people living with a diagnosis of primary brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumor in the US in 2000: 359,000 1 Estimated new cases of primary brain/CNS tumors (malignant and non-malignant) expected in 2007 in the US: 51,410 1 Total estimated new cases of primary malignant brain /CNS tumors to be diagnosed in 2005 in the US: 22,070 3 Estimated number of deaths attributable to primary malignant brain/CNS tumors in the US in 2005: 12,920 3
The expected incidence of 51,410 new cases is based on an incidence rate of 16.5 per 100,000 people1, and a 2007 US population of 300,912,947.2
Brain tumors are:
- The leading cause of death from childhood cancers among persons up to 19 years6
- The second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males ages 20-397
- The fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women ages 20-397
Average lifetime risk:4
- Of being diagnosed with a primary malignant brain tumor for males is 0.67% and 0.51% for females
- Of dying from a primary malignant brain tumor is 0.49% for males and 0.39% for females
Observed average relative survival rates for patients diagnosed over the period of 1973-2004 with a primary malignant brain/CNS tumor vs. glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most common primary brain tumors:1
| Brain/CNS Tumors | Glioblastoma Multiforme | |
| One-year survival rate | 51.5% | 29.3% |
| Two-year survival rate | 37.3% | 8.7% |
| Five-year survival rate | 29.1% | 3.3% |
| Ten-year survival rate | 25.3% | 2.3% |
5-Year survival rate by age for brain & other nervous system cancers5
| <45 years | 64.0% |
| 45-54 years | 29.7% |
| 55-64 years | 14.2% |
| 65-74 years | 7.9% |
| +75 years | 3.9% |
Distribution of all primary brain and CNS gliomas by histology1
(Gliomas account for 40% of all primary brain / CNS tumors and for 78% of malignant brain tumors; astrocytomas and glioblastomas account for 75% of all gliomas)
- Central Brain Tumor Registry of the US (CBTRUS) data, 2000-2004
- www.census.gov
- American Cancer Society: Key Statistics for Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults 2009
- SEER 1999 – 2001 data
- SEER (1975-2006)
- National Cancer Institute – Brain and Central Nervous System Cancers
- American Cancer Society 2002
