Primary spinal oligoastrocytoma: A case report

BACKGROUND Primary oligoastrocytomas of the spinal cord are rare, and the treatment options for low-grade intramedullary tumors are controversial. DESCRIPTION A 10-year-old girl presented with thoracic scoliosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an enhancing intramedullary mass lesion extending from C-5 to T-5, associated with whole spine syringomyelia and syringobulbia. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed high uptake in the lesion. The patient underwent C-5 to T-5 laminoplastic laminotomy and subtotal removal of the tumor. Histologic examination revealed that the tumor was an oligoastrocytoma without anaplastic findings. Genetic analysis revealed loss of heterozygosity of 1p and 19q but not 10q, which is characteristic of oligodendroglial tumors. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is only the second report describing primary oligoastrocytoma of the spinal cord. Genetic analysis may provide a clue in selecting optimal adjuvant therapies. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.