CBTRUS and Cancer Registries: 35 Years of Collaboration

We couldn’t have done it without you! This sums up our relationship with the surveillance community, its stakeholders, and its supporting community. For over 35 years, the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) has worked with you to quantify the burden of brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors on the United States population. The two recently published 2025 reports described below are the latest efforts of our relationship. They contribute meaningful information to research, clinical, public health, and patient communities.

In September, the month dedicated to Childhood Cancer Awareness, we partnered with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and published a special report on childhood and adolescent primary brain and other CNS tumors diagnosed in the United States in 2017-2021. This report shows that among ages 0-19 years these tumors were the most common newly diagnosed solid tumor and the largest contributor to cancer deaths in children and adolescents.

In October, we proudly published our 28^th annual statistical report with the incidence, survival, mortality, and trends of all primary brain and other CNS tumors diagnosed throughout the entire United States. Although there is little variability in these statistics from year to year, the consistency of such reporting promotes the efficiency of cancer surveillance and underpins the ongoing need for such efforts. We estimated 107,100 new cases of brain and other CNS tumors to be diagnosed in the United States this year. With only an estimated 34.8% of patients with a malignant brain tumor surviving to five-years following diagnosis, the continued need for life-saving treatments is evident. These statistics are used in grants and clinical trials, to educate the public, and inform public health officials.

CBTRUS is recognized internationally as the premier brain tumor registry and that success is dependent upon the dedication and hard work performed within the registry community.

To view statistics on brain and other CNS tumors please see our free-to-view annual and special childhood and adolescent report at https://cbtrus.org/reports/.