Primary spinal cord oligodendroglioma: case report and review of the literature

Primary spinal oligodendroglioma with intracranial extension: a case report

Introduction

Primary spinal cord oligodendrogliomas (PSO) are sporadic tumors that arise from oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). They can affect adults and children and make up about 2% of all intramedullary (IM) spinal tumors. Here, the authors present the second case in the literature of a primary spinal oligodendroglioma with intracranial extension.

Presentation

A 28-year-old right-handed female presented to our emergency room severely malaised with left-sided hemiparesis, numbness, tingling, and urinary retention with positive Babinski and negative Hoffmann. MRI showed a widespread heterogeneous mass extending from the medulla to C7 with syringomyelia inferior to the mass. The mass was removed surgically, and her neurological condition improved rapidly. The gross, pathological exams, and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of oligodendroglioma.

Discussion

Up until 2017, there have been 60 documented cases of PSO in the literature and we have found two more cases in our search between 2017 and 2023. Also, there has been only one case recorded with an intracranial extension, making our case the 63rd PSO case and the second one with cranial extension.

Conclusion

The golden standard for imaging is MRI. Surgical excision is the main treatment in the literature. Single-stage laminectomy showed promising results and surgical resection was the critical intervention to which the patient responded. This matches what was stated in the literature that surgery is the primary mode of treatment in PSO patients.

A rare case of primary spinal cord oligodendroglioma

Primary spinal cord oligodendroglioma is a rare tumor that originates from oligodendrocytes. Oligodendroglioma itself is commonly found in the cerebral hemisphere and spinal oligodendroglioma is an unusual presentation of this disease. Here, we present a case of a 48-year-old patient with low back pain, weakness of the lower extremities, and numbness. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intradural intramedullary vertebral mass at level T4-T5 which proved to be an oligodendroglioma after histopathological examination.

[Spinal cord metastasis of anaplastic oligodendroglioma of the brain without recurrence of primary tumor. Ccase report and literature review]

Spinal cord metastases of brain gliomas are rare. However, incidence of these tumors has been increasing recently. The vast majority of neurosurgeons and oncologists recognize spinal cord metastasis of malignant brain glioma followed by symptoms of transverse spinal cord lesion as non-curable terminal stage of malignant process. In this paper, we report a rare clinical case of metastatic spinal cord lesion in a patient after previous surgery for anaplastic oligodendroglioma of the right frontal lobe. There were no signs of local recurrence of the primary tumor. Active surgical strategy followed by radio- and chemotherapy significantly improved the patient's quality of life. Postoperative follow-up is 6 months by the moment of writing the manuscript, no clinical signs of progression are observed.

Holocord oligodendroglioma with intracranial extension in a young adult: a case report and review of literature

Widespread primary spinal oligodendrogliomas are a rare variety of tumors that usually affect children. Currently, there are only two adult cases reported worldwide. We report the first case of primary holocord oligodendroglioma with intracranial extension in a young adult female. The patient presented with a 4-month history of fluctuating hemiparesis of the left upper extremity eventually becoming quadriplegic after 1 month. Imaging findings revealed a contrast-enhancing holocord neoplasm spanning from the cervical region to the conus medullaris and with extension to the lower medulla. The patient succumbed to severe pneumonia after 1 month of admission. An autopsy was done and the histopathologic findings were consistent with oligodendroglioma.

A very rare spinal cord tumor primary spinal oligodendroglioma: A review of sixty cases in the literature

LITERATURE REVIEW

In this study, we evaluated a case of primary spinal oligodendroglioma (PSO) with a rare localization between L3 and S2, and also examined sixty cases in the literature in terms of demographic characteristics, clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics, and treatment planning. A case of PSO has been presented, and the relevant literature between 1931 and 2016 was reviewed. A total of 57 papers regarding PSO were found and utilized in this review. The main treatment options include radical surgical excision with neuromonitoring, followed by radiotherapy. Despite these treatment protocols, the relapse rate is high, and treatment does not significantly prolong survival. Oligodendrogliomas are rare among the primary spinal cord tumors. Oligodendrogliomas are predominantly found in the cervical spinal cord, thoracic spinal cord, or junctions during childhood and adulthood. Extension to the sacral region, inferior to the Conus, is very rare. Furthermore, of the sixty cases in the literature, the case we present here is the first to be reported in this particular age group. These localizations usually occur in the pediatric age group and after relapses. While for a limited number of cases the oligodendroglioma initiates in the thoracic region and reaches as far as L2, we encountered a case of an oligodendroglioma within the range of L3 to S2. Clinical findings are observed in accordance with location, and magnetic resonance imaging is the gold standard for diagnosis.

Spinal Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma With Oligodendrogliomatosis: Molecular Markers and Management: Case Report

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Spinal cord oligodendrogliomas are rare tumors, with a reported incidence varying between 0.8% and 4.7% of all spinal cord tumors and just over 50 cases reported in the literature. Of these, only 9 cases are histologically defined as anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, with few having complete molecular characterization. The diffuse tumor spread that can occur along the subarachnoid space with secondary invasion of the leptomeninges is called oligodendrogliomatosis and is associated with poor outcome.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 68-year-old man with a history of lumbar stenosis status after lumbar decompression presented with new-onset right lower-extremity weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intramedullary lesion from T9 to T12. During an attempted diagnostic biopsy, numerous intradural intramedullary lesions not present on magnetic resonance imaging were observed. Tissue biopsy demonstrated a 1p/19q-codeleted anaplastic oligodendroglioma with diffuse oligodendrogliomatosis. Postoperative treatment included 39.2-Gy radiation over 22 fractions from T1 to the bottom of the thecal sac with a boost to the T9-T12 area, the primary site of disease, to a total dose of 43.2 Gy in 24 fractions, followed by adjuvant temozolomide at a dose of 200 mg/m on days 1 to 5 in a 28-day cycle. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient demonstrated moderate neurological improvement.

CONCLUSION

Management, prognosis, and use of molecular data in the decision-making algorithm for these patients are discussed, together with a review of all cases of primary intradural intramedullary spinal anaplastic oligodendrogliomas reported to date. Our study indicates that the combination of sequential treatment with radiation and temozolomide might provide a favorable outcome in the case of 1p/19q-codeleted spinal anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and that molecular analysis can be beneficial in guiding treatment strategies, although the impact of IDH mutations on these tumors is still unclear.

Primary Spinal Cord Oligodendroglioma with Postoperative Adjuvant Radiotherapy: A Case Report

Primary spinal cord oligodendrogliomas are rare tumors comprising two percent of all spinal cord tumors. Although a treatment guideline has yet to be established, maximal surgical resection is primary in the treatment of spinal cord oligodendrogliomas. Adjuvant radiotherapy has remained controversial, and it is unclear whether chemotherapy adds any benefit. In this case report, the authors present a 24-year-old male who had a seven-year history of left leg weakness and a radiating pain in both legs. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed an intramedullary mass at the T4-T8 level. He underwent subtotal removal of the tumor and pathologic diagnosis revealed a WHO grade II oligodendroglioma. The patient was treated with radiotherapy postoperatively and followed up with MRI annually. Clinical and radiological status of the patient had been stationary for four years after the surgery. The five-year follow-up MRI showed an increase in the size and extent of the residual tumor. Despite radiological progression, considering that symptoms and the performance status of the patient had remained unchanged, further treatment has not been performed. Given the clinical outcome of this patient, close observation after subtotal removal with adjuvant radiotherapy is one of the acceptable treatment options for WHO grade II spinal cord oligodendrogliomas.

Sudden death from diffuse leptomeningeal oligodendrogliomatosis

In this paper the authors describe the rare disorder of diffuse leptomeningeal oligodendrogliomatosis in a patient with an oligodendroglioma of the cauda equina who died suddenly. Reviewing this uncommon pathological entity is important so that it can be recognized and treated appropriately. This young, otherwise healthy woman with initial symptoms of low-back pain had a mass lesion of the cauda equina. During a workup, profound refractory intracranial hypertension suddenly developed despite aggressive surgical and medical intervention. Autopsy revealed a spinal cord oligodendroglioma with diffuse leptomeningeal oligodendrogliomatosis of the brain and spinal cord. Given the unforeseen outcome in this patient, this entity, although rare, should be considered in patients with similar presentations and addressed early to prevent similar outcomes. A review of the details of this case as well as the literature is presented below.

Spinal cord anaplastic oligodendroglioma with 1p deletion: report of a relapsing case treated with temozolomide

Primary spinal cord oligodendroglial tumor is very rare, and in only one patient with spinal cord oligodendroglioma has a deletion of chromosome 1p/19q been reported. We present the case of an 18-year-old girl, who had one-year lower back pain and one-month lower limb weakness. Magnetic resonance images of the spinal cord showed an intramedullary mass from level T8 to T10, which was then radically removed. Histology revealed an anaplastic oligodendroglioma. The patient was treated with radiotherapy postoperatively. Eight months after the treatment, follow-up magnetic resonance images disclosed an enhancing intramedullary mass at level T4-T8; recurrence of the tumor was therefore diagnosed. Maximum surgical removal of the recurrent tumor was performed, diagnosis of anaplastic oligodendroglioma was made, and a chromosome 1p deletion was determined by FISH. After treatment with temozolomide for six months, the patient had a remarkable improvement of her lower limb symptoms, and complete imaging regression of the residual tumor showed no evidence of recurrence at any other sites. The most recent MRI of brain and spinal cord showed postoperative changes without evidence of tumor recurrence of the spine and oligodendrogliomatosis along the cerebral-spinal axis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a recurrent anaplastic oligodendroglioma with 1p deletion occurring in the spinal cord. It is also the first case of the patient with recurrent intramedullary anaplastic oligodendroglioma who had a significant clinical improvement and complete imaging remission after subtotal resection then treatment with temozolomide chemotherapy.

Spinal cord oligodendroglioma with 1p and 19q deletions presenting with cerebral oligodendrogliomatosis

Oligodendroglioma of the spinal cord is a rare tumor that most often presents with spinal cord symptoms. The authors present a case of spinal cord oligodendroglioma that was associated with cerebral rather than spinal cord symptoms. A 30-year-old woman developed nausea, vomiting, and severe headaches. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed meningeal enhancement. The patient underwent a craniotomy with biopsies of the meninges and brain. The biopsy findings revealed an abnormal arachnoid thickening without tumor cells. The patient later developed hydrocephalus and underwent shunt placement. Cerebrospinal fluid cytological findings were negative for tumor cells or infection. She was found to have a cervical cord lesion at C3–4 that was initially nonenhancing but later enhanced after Gd administration. Biopsy of the cord lesion with partial resection showed a WHO Grade II oligodendroglioma with 1p and 19q deletions determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Neurooncological treatment with tumor radiation and temozolomide (Temodor) resulted in improvement in radiographic findings, symptoms, and long-term survival. This paper presents an extensive review of the literature, which revealed only 2 other reported cases of cerebral symptoms in adults that preceded spinal cord symptoms in a patient with oligodendroglioma of the spinal cord. It is also the first reported case of oligodendrogliomatosis due to a cervical spinal cord oligodendroglioma with 1p and 19q deletions.

Part I: Spinal-cord neoplasms—intradural neoplasms

Intradural spinal-cord tumours are an uncommon but important consideration in the differential diagnosis of patients with back pain, radicular pain, sensorimotor deficits, or sphincter dysfunction. Intradural spinal tumours can be divided into intramedullary and extramedullary spinal-cord tumours on the basis of their anatomical relation to the spinal parenchyma. The heterogeneous cell composition of the intradural compartment allows the formation of neoplasms, arising from glial cells, neurons, and cells of spinal vasculature. Additionally, developmental tumours, metastases, and intradural extension of extradural tumours are represented. In this Review, we discuss the published work on intradural spinal-cord tumours in terms of epidemiological, radiographic, and histological characteristics. Surgical and adjuvant treatment strategies are also reviewed.