Astrocytoma is the most common brain tumor of childhood.

Researchers report that the annual incidence is

approximately 14 new cases per million children younger than 15 years.

Mortality/Morbidity
In low-grade astrocytomas, complete surgical resection is associated with 5-year survival rates as high as 95100% without further treatment. Patients with subtotal resections may have only a 60-80% survival rate over
similar periods; however, after partial resection, long-term progression-free intervals may ensue. Current
operative mortality rates are less than 1%. Morbidity depends largely on tumor location and is highest in
diencephalic tumors, in which the incidence of hemiparesis or visual field deficits may be 10-20%. Corticalbased tumors may be associated with seizures.
In high-grade astrocytomas, the most recent 5-year survival rate is 15-30% for supratentorial lesions and less
than 10% for pontine tumors. Neurologic morbidity, such as neurocognitive impairment, neuroendocrinologic
deficiency, motor and coordination impairment, and cranial nerve dysfunction may occur from tumor invasion,
surgical resection, and/or treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. Seizure disorders may develop
depending on the tumor location.

Race
No specific racial predisposition is observed.

Sex
The male-to-female ratio is approximately 1:1, except for supratentorial low-grade gliomas, in which it is
approximately 2:1.

Age
Most cases occur in the first decade of life, with the peak incidence occurring in children aged 5-9 years. Highgrade supratentorial tumors occur slightly later, with a median age at diagnosis of 9-10 years.