Spinal cord ependymoma - a literature review

Abstract

Spinal cord ependymomas are rare neuroepithelial tumors and can be further classified into spinal ependymoma, spinal ependymoma with MYCN-amplification, myxopapillary ependymoma and spinal subependymoma. It mainly affects adult patients in at least half of all ependymoma cases and the most common locations are the cervical and cervicothoracic spinal levels. Treatment is mainly surgical with a emphasis on total resection with preservation of neurological function. In cases with recurrences or aggressive disease course, adjuvant therapies can be used to stabilize the patient's disease course. The treatment of spinal cord ependymomas is complicated as this is a rare entity and there are no standardized guidelines and there are many conflicting viewpoints regarding their optimal treatment. Furthermore, this thesis will explore factors that may affect treatment outcomes.