TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary intramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the cervical spinal cord
T2 - Case report
AU - Jain, Amit
AU - Jalali, Rakesh
AU - Nadkarni, Trimurti D.
AU - Sharma, Suash
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2006/6
Y1 - 2006/6
N2 - Primary intramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) of the spinal cord are rare. Only six cases have previously been reported, all involving tumors in the thoracic or lumbar spine. The authors report the case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with quadriplegia and bladder and bowel dysfunction. The patient had suffered symptoms of neck pain for 1 month and left shoulder weakness for 10 days. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed an intramedullary mass extending from C-2 to C-5 with an exophytic component in the adjacent left subarachnoid space. Multiple biopsy specimens were obtained, and a partial excision was performed. Histological examination revealed nodular growth and neuronal differentiation, with a striking resemblance to desmoplastic medulloblastoma. A positron emission tomography scan did not reveal uptake at any site. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of a primary intramedullary PNET. Postoperatively, the patient was given craniospinal radiotherapy with a radiation boost to the tumor bed.
AB - Primary intramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) of the spinal cord are rare. Only six cases have previously been reported, all involving tumors in the thoracic or lumbar spine. The authors report the case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with quadriplegia and bladder and bowel dysfunction. The patient had suffered symptoms of neck pain for 1 month and left shoulder weakness for 10 days. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed an intramedullary mass extending from C-2 to C-5 with an exophytic component in the adjacent left subarachnoid space. Multiple biopsy specimens were obtained, and a partial excision was performed. Histological examination revealed nodular growth and neuronal differentiation, with a striking resemblance to desmoplastic medulloblastoma. A positron emission tomography scan did not reveal uptake at any site. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of a primary intramedullary PNET. Postoperatively, the patient was given craniospinal radiotherapy with a radiation boost to the tumor bed.
KW - Intramedullary tumor
KW - Primitive neuroectodermal tumor
KW - Spinal cord neoplasm
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U2 - 10.3171/spi.2006.4.6.497
DO - 10.3171/spi.2006.4.6.497
M3 - Article
C2 - 16776362
AN - SCOPUS:33745940416
VL - 4
SP - 497
EP - 502
JO - Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine
JF - Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine
SN - 1547-5654
IS - 6
ER -