The role of sex genotype in paediatric CNS tumour incidence and survival

Abstract

Purpose: Evidence exists, in CNS germinomas and medulloblastomas (MB), that patient sex significantly influences incidence and outcome. The role of sex genotype in other paediatric CNS tumours remains unclear. This study sought to examine the role of sex genotype in CNS tumour incidence and overall survival (OS). Methods: Age-adjusted incidence and OS rates were collected from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) registry between 2000 and 2011 for common paediatric ( <1 year with AA had better OS than males. Increasing age significantly improved male and female survival in ependymoma and medulloblastoma. Conclusion: Interrogating population-based registries such as SEER minimises bias and provides credible data. Observed differences in incidence and OS between the sexes for different paediatric CNS tumours provide useful prognostic information for clinicians. Sex genotype was a significant independent prognostic factor in ependymomas and germinomas. Further investigation of possible epigenetic and hormonal differences may provide sex-specific vulnerabilities that may be exploitable for targeted therapy.