Intracranial neoplasms in children: a comparison of North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Series of intracranial neoplasms in childrem from four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia) are presented and their histopathological distributions are compared. Findings include a proportion of craniopharyngiomas in Japan and Africa about double that of other areas, with a relative deficit of medulloblastomas. Pinealomas also occurred approximately three times as often in Japan and Africa as elsewhere. A incidence of ependymomas in India double that of other parts of the world was noted. Astrocytomas were the most frequently occurring neoplasms in all series except the Japanese. Possible interpretations of the differences among the series, as well as proposals for further investigation, are discussed.