LAUSR

Population-based data on the various causes of death among Primary Brain and CNS tumor patients are lacking. We evaluated the causes of death for all eligible patients using the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) data. The population-based cancer survival data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) were used to analyze the causes of death for patients of all ages with primary brain and CNS tumors diagnosed between 2001 and 2016. Patients for whom the cause of death was not listed on the death certificate or whose state death certificate was not available were excluded. Additional analyses to identify factors associated with brain tumor-specific mortality for the most common malignant (Glioblastoma) and non-malignant (Meningioma) were performed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Major cause of death for patients with malignant tumors was death due to brain and other CNS tumors (49.29%), and for non-malignant tumors were other benign and malignant tumors (31.5%) and heart disease (17.9%). Overall mortality was 36.4% (n=331,953) in patients with Primary Brain and CNS Tumors during the study period. Specifically, 163,621 (49.29%) patients died due to brain and other CNS tumors. A significant proportion of patients with malignant tumors had brain tumor-specific mortality compared to non-malignant tumors (75.4% in malignant vs 4.2% in non-malignant). The factors associated with brain specific mortality in Glioblastoma patients were Age (p< 0.001), Race (p< 0.001) and Primary Site (p< 0.001). Further, the factors associated with brain specific mortality in Non-malignant Meningioma patients were Age (p< 0.001), Sex (p< 0.001), Race (p< 0.001) and Primary Site (P< 0.001). Cause of death attributed to the brain tumor was significantly higher in malignant brain tumors compared to non-malignant brain tumors.