Spinal cord ependymomas treated with surgery and radiation therapy. A review of 11 cases

Between 1971 and 1990, 11 patients with primary spinal cord ependymomas were treated with surgery and postoperative irradiation or surgery alone at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Of the 11 patients, 6 (54%) were subclassified with myxopapillary ependymomas that were located in the lumbosacral region of the spinal cord: 2 patients underwent complete resections, 8 had subtotal resections, and 1 had a biopsy only; 8 patients received postoperative irradiation (range: 4,500-5,482 cGy) with 7 of 8 patients treated to involved spinal fields. With a mean follow-up of 7.4 years, 3 patients (27%) have developed recurrent disease, 2 in the combined treatment group, and 1 in the surgery alone group. The 5- and 10-year actuarial survival rates were 100% and 80%, respectively. Eight of nine patients (89%) demonstrated clinical improvement after postoperative irradiation which suggests that the irradiation may have contributed to the improvement. The present study supports the long-term survival of patients with spinal cord ependymomas. Results from this series and a review of the literature indicate that complete surgical resection is only possible in about one-quarter of cases. Local spinal irradiation should continue to be utilized when surgery is incomplete.