The Incidence and Prevalence of Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumours in Canada (2010–2017), and the Survival of Patients Diagnosed with CNS Tumours (2008–2017)

Primary central nervous system (CNS) tumours are heterogeneous, with different treatment pathways and prognoses depending on their histological and molecular classification. Due to their anatomical location, all CNS tumours, regardless of malignancy, can be debilitating. We used vital statistics linked to Canadian Cancer Registry data to estimate the age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), Kaplan–Meier survival rates (SR), and limited-duration prevalence proportions (PP) of 25 histology-specific CNS tumour groups that were classified based on site and histology. During 2010–2017, 45,115 patients were diagnosed with 47,085 primary CNS tumours, of which 19.0% were unclassified. The average annual ASIR was 21.48/100,000 person-years and did not vary by sex. The ASIR increased with age, particularly for meningioma, unclassified tumours, and glioblastoma. The eight-year PP was 102.1/100,000 persons (index date 1 January 2018). The most common histology was meningioma (ASIR: 5.19; PP: 31.6). The overall five-year SR among 51,310 patients diagnosed during 2008–2017 was 57.2% (95% CI: 56.8–57.7%). SRs varied by tumour behaviour, histology, and patient age, with the lowest SR among glioblastoma patients (5-year SRs ranged from 1.3–25.7%). For non-malignant tumours, the 5-year SRs ranged from 37.4–100%. We provide the most up-to-date histology-specific surveillance estimates for primary CNS tumours in Canada.