Incidence Trend of Primary Brain Tumors in Children and Adolescents in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Brain tumor (BT) is one of the types of tumors that, despite their low prevalence, have many destructive effects on the survival of patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BT in children and adolescents with cancer in Iran. This meta-analysis was according to the PRISMA checklist. Out of 784 articles extracted in the first stage of systematic review, eight studies examining the incidence rates of brain cancer in people under 18 years of age in Iran met the necessary conditions to be included in the meta-analysis. Data extraction was done using the researcher's checklist; and data analysis was done using CMA3 software. The prevalence of BT in male patients was revealed to be 1.8% (95% CI, 1.4-2.3), in females, it was 1.9% (95% CI, 1.5-2.3), and its total prevalence was 2.1% (95% CI, 1.7-2.7). Although the prevalence of BT is not high, due to the important role of these types of tumors in determining the health status of patients, it is required to take the necessary measures including prevention and treatment in the fields of rehabilitation and Drug treatment.