Malignant ganglioglioma of the spinal cord

A case of tumor of the spinal cord with a long clinical history was described. At autopsy, the tumor was composed of a mixture of two elemental cells, i.e. matured but neoplastic ganglionic cells and anaplastic glial cells. The clinical manifestations suggested that the tumor in this case developed in a benign form with malignant evolution occurring during the latter part of its clinical course. The malignant evolution, however, was due to aggressive and anaplastic growth only of the elemental glial cells, while the cytologic features of the elemental ganglionic cells remained always benign.