Clinical presentation and long-term outcome of primary spinal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors. J Neurooncol. 2015;124:455-463. [PMID: 26186903 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-015-1859-1]

The Clinical Characteristics, Risk Classification System, and Web-Based Nomogram for Primary Spinal Ewing Sarcoma: A Large Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The goal of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with primary spinal Ewing sarcoma (PSES) and to create a prognostic nomogram.

METHODS

Clinical information related to patients diagnosed with PSES between 2004 and 2015 was extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Independent prognostic factors were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses to construct nomograms predicting overall survival in patients with PSES. Calibration curves and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the model's prediction accuracy, while decision curve analysis was used to assess the model's clinical utility.

RESULTS

The overall number of 314 patients with PSES were screened from the SEER database between 2004 and 2015. Race, chemotherapy, age, and disease stage were found to be independent predictive factors for overall survival in both univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. The training and validation cohorts' calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic curves, and decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram has strong discrimination and clinical value. Furthermore, a new risk classification system has been constructed that can divide all patients into 2 risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on a broad population, the research demonstrates statistical evidence for the clinical features and prognostic variables of patients with PSES. The constructed prognostic nomogram provides a more precise prediction of prognosis for PSES patients.

Analysis of Clinical, Imaging, and Pathologic Features of 36 Patients with Primary Intraspinal Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors: A Case Series and Literature Review

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

 Primary intraspinal primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) account for ∼0.4% of all intraspinal tumors, but information about these tumors in the medical literature is limited to single case reports. We report four cases of primary intraspinal PNETs and present a systematic literature review of the reported cases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the clinical data of 4 patients with primary intraspinal PNETs who underwent neurosurgical treatment at our clinic between January 2013 and January 2020, and of 32 cases reported in the literature.

RESULTS

 The female-to-male ratio was 2.6:1. The mean patient age was 21.42 ± 15.76 years (range: 1-60 years), and patients <36 years of age accounted for 83.30% of the study cohort. Progressive limb weakness and numbness were the chief symptoms (accounting for ∼55.6%). The mean complaint duration was 0.89 ± 0.66 months for males and 2.72 ± 3.82 months for females (p = 0.028). Epidural (41.7%) was the most common site, and thoracic (47.3%) was the most frequent location. Most PNETs were peripheral, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance was isointense or mildly hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Homogeneous contrast enhancement was observed. The 1-year survival rate of patients who underwent chemoradiation after total or subtotal lesion resection was better compared with patients who did not undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or total or subtotal resection. The modality of treatment was associated with survival time (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

 Primary intraspinal PNETs mainly occur in young people with a female preponderance. In patients with a rapid loss of lower limb muscle strength and large intraspinal lesions on MRI, PNETs should be considered. Surgical resection and adjuvant radio chemotherapy are key prognostic factors.

Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumour Invading the Inferior Vena Cava

In the present report, we describe our experience with a 44-year-old male with abnormal retroperitoneal primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) in our hospital, who was operated on with a spindle cell neoplasm diagnosis.

LEARNING POINTS

Appropriate treatment is a crucial challenge in patients with PNETs due to late referral.The differential diagnoses were malignant pheochromocytoma, paraganglioma and retroperitoneal sarcoma.Physicians should keep in mind that the patient could be simultaneously suffering from sarcoma and a retroperitoneal PNET.

Spinal Ewing's Sarcoma Presenting as an Epidural Collection: A Rare Presentation of a Rare Entity

Rare entities are difficult to predict. They are considered last rightly, to expedite treatment and alleviate symptoms quickly. Rare presentations of rare diseases form a particularly difficult section of diagnoses that are not only impossible to predict but difficult to recognize, diagnose, and treat. Often the dilemma is to, investigate thoroughly saving time but financially burdening the patient and hospital, or, to investigate in gradual increments taking more time and effort, especially in rare cases where prolonged hospitalization and suffering occurs before the diagnosis is reached. This approach, however, wastes critically important time, which, especially in neurological compression, may often lead to irreversible deficits. This dilemma is admirably demonstrated in this case report of spinal Ewing's sarcoma. A young female presented to us with recurrent high cervical epidural collections presenting as compressive myelopathy. She underwent repeated decompressions, and the collection was misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, which was treated without empirical evidence, leading to significant irreversible disability. Finally, when she came to us, the histopathological assessment was done to reveal the diagnosis. Ewing's sarcomas, and indeed the whole gamut of small-round-cell malignancies, are great imitators. They are known to exist in the skull base mimicking schwannomas, chordomas, germinomas, pituitary adenomas, and even epidermoids and occasionally extend to the vertebral bodies and the cranio-vertebral Junction (CVJ) leading to instability and neurological compression. Here, they mimic vertebral tumors, discitis, infective abscesses, and even myeloma. Predictably, such an entity is diagnosed last, and diagnosed late, leading to bad consequences for the patient. Such was the fate of our patient. The report emphasizes the diagnostic dilemma and presents the need to use protocols for diagnosis and treatment, even in rare cases, to effect the best possible outcomes for patients. The use of a thorough diagnostic and management algorhythm prevents deeper and sinister disease processes from being missed.

Treatment Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Patients With Primary Spinal Ewing Sarcoma/Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors

Purpose: Primary spinal Ewing sarcoma (ES)/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs) are extremely rare, and the current understanding of these tumors is poor. The authors aimed to illustrate the clinical characteristics of primary spinal ES/pPNETs and to discuss prognostic factors by survival analysis.

Methods: A total of 40 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with primary spinal ES/pPNETs between 2000 and 2018 were enrolled in this study. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method to identify potential prognostic factors. Factors of p ≤ 0.1 in the Log-rank tests were subjected to multivariate analysis by Cox regression analysis.

Results: The mean follow-up period was 23.8 (range, 2–93) months, and 24 (60.0%) patients had local recurrence and 11 (27.5%) patients had distant metastasis. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year PFS rates were 57.7, 30.4, and 9.5%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year OS rates were 74.8, 50.7, and 12.2%, respectively. The univariate analysis suggested that resection mode, postoperative Frankel score, adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy were potential prognostic factors for OS and PFS. However, after these factors were subjected to multivariate analyses, only adjuvant radiotherapy and resection mode remained as independent prognostic factors.

Conclusions: Total en bloc resection can significantly improve PFS for primary spinal ES/pPNETs and adjuvant radiotherapy was a favorable factor for PFS. Total en bloc resection and adjuvant radiotherapy considerably improve OS for patients with primary spinal ES/pPNETs.

Long-term outcomes of surgical resection with or without adjuvant therapy for treatment of primary spinal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors

OBJECTIVE

We sought to assess the use of surgical treatment, the effect of postoperative adjuvant therapy, and the prognostic factors for survival of patients with primary spinal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinical data of 24 patients, who had been surgically treated from April 2003 to February 2018 and in whom immunohistochemical staining results had confirmed the diagnosis of primary spinal pPNETs, were retrospectively analyzed. To analyze the factors related to prognosis, the Kaplan-Meier method was used for univariate analysis, the log-rank method was used to test the significance of difference, and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression.

RESULTS

The overall 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year survival rates were 73.2%, 48.1%, and 12.0%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) of all patients was 21 months. Univariate analysis showed that the extent of tumor resection, adjuvant radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were the factors influencing patient prognosis after surgery (all P < 0.05); sex, age, tumor location, and preoperative Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) scores were not the influential factors for prognosis of patients after surgery (all P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that gross total resection (GTR) of tumors and adjuvant radiotherapy were independent factors influencing the prognosis of patients with pPNETs (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary spinal pPNETs are extremely rare, and they have a poor prognosis. Microsurgical GTR of the tumor is the preferred method of treatment. Radiotherapy plays an important role in improving the prognosis of patients with pPNETs. GTR combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be the best treatment modality.

Primary intramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumor: A case report and review of the literature

RATIONALE

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are highly malignant tumors, which are extremely rare entities and primary intramedullary PNETs are extremely rare. Till now, only 24 cases of primary intramedullary PNET have been reported.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 26-year-old male presented with progressive low back and lower limb pain for 1 month.

DIAGNOSES

Based on MRI and histopathological findings, he was diagnosed with primary intramedullary PNET.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient was treated two times with microsurgical resections.

OUTCOMES

Follow-up visit at 14 months after the first surgery showed that the patient is neurologically intact and free of disease.

LESSONS

PNETs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an intramedullary spinal cord tumor manifesting as progressive neurological deterioration.

Recurrent spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor with brain and bone metastases: A case report

RATIONALE

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is relatively rare in all age groups, and the prognosis in most cases of spinal PNETs appears to be poor, with a median patient survival of 1 to 2 years. We present a case with recurrent spinal PNET with brain and bone metastases that was successfully treated by multimodality treatment.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 14-year-old teenage girl had suffered from progressive left upper back pain with bilateral lower legs weakness and numbness for 1 year. After treatment, left neck mass was noted 3 years later.

DIAGNOSES

Initially, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed neurogenic tumor involving intradural extramedullary space of T5-T10. Pathology report showed PNET (World Health Organization grade IV) featuring lobules of neoplastic cells with round regular nuclei, high nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio, and fibrillary cytoplasm. At the time of tumor recurrence, chest MRI then showed recurrent tumor at T2-T3 level of the epidural space with right neural foramina invasion. Brain MRI showed extensive bilateral calvarial metastases and leptomeningeal metastases in the right frontoparietal regions. Bone scan showed multiple bone metastases.

INTERVENTIONS

T-spine tumor removal and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) to T-spine tumor bed were performed in the initial treatment. After clinical tumor recurrence, tumor removal was done again. She then received chemotherapy followed by whole brain irradiation with hippocampal sparing with 35 gray in 20 fractions.

OUTCOMES

After treatment, follow-up images showed that the disease was under control. There was no neurological sequela. She has survived more than 7 years from diagnosis and more than 4 years from recurrence to date.

LESSONS

Multimodality treatments including operation, RT, and chemotherapy should be considered in the initial treatment planning, and salvage chemotherapy was useful in this case.

Huge peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the small bowel mesentery at nonage: A case report and review of the literature

Extraskeletal Ewing’s sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (E-EWS/pPNET) is a rare aggressive malignant small round cell tumor. In this report, we present the case of a 15-year-old boy who suffered from acute abdominal pain accompanied by hematemesis and melena, and was eventually diagnosed with E-EWS/pPNET. To date, there have been only five reported cases of E-EWS/pPNET of the small bowel including the patient in this report. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documentation of a pPNET of the small bowel mesentery at nonage. All these have made this report rare and significant.

Synthetic treatment of intracranial peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor with multiple metastasis: a case report

Ewing sarcomas (ES) and peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNET) are now thought to belong to the same tumor family. Ewing sarcoma family tumor (ESFT) members commonly originate in bones and soft tissues. However, a few published articles describe ESFT arising from cranial cavities. Pathologically, ES/pPNET are composed of small round cells. Unambiguous distinction between pPNET and other small round cell tumors, in particular central PNET, is of clinical significance. Definitive diagnoses of pPNET can be obtained through CD99 (MIC2 gene product) membrane positivities and molecular identifications of chromosomal rearrangements between EWS and ETS family genes. Multimodal approaches comprising surgical resections, radiotherapies, and chemotherapies are required for the treatment of ESFT. Decompressive medical measures are preferentially performed when epidural masses are compressing spinal cords. In cases of ES-induced brain herniations, emergent radiotherapies may serve as effective tools. We report a case of multiple disseminated intracranial ES/pPNET for which synthetic treatments were used.

Comparison of Primary Spinal Central and Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors in Clinical and Imaging Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome

OBJECTIVE

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumors are extremely rare entities. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in clinical and imaging characteristics and outcomes between primary spinal central PNETs (cPNETs) and peripheral PNETs (pPNETs).

METHODS

There were 25 consecutive patients with primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumors enrolled. The diagnosis was cPNET in 6 patients with negative CD99 expression and pPNET in 19 patients with positive CD99 expression. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 12 patients, subtotal resection was performed in 9 patients, and partial resection was performed in 4 patients. Postoperative chemotherapy was given to 14 patients, and radiotherapy was given to 16 patients.

RESULTS

The age at diagnosis was significantly younger in the cPNET group (mean 12.8 years) compared with the pPNET group (mean 22.5 years) (P = 0.040); the 2 pathologies did not show a significant difference in prognosis. GTR (P = 0.041), radiotherapy (P = 0.008), and GTR with radiotherapy (P = 0.009) were significant factors leading to a higher 2-year survival rate. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that radiotherapy (P < 0.001) and GTR with radiotherapy (P = 0.040) resulted in a longer median survival time. Patients who underwent GTR, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy all together had the highest 1-year (100.0%) and 2-year (71.4%) survival rates and the longest median survival time (32 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with spinal cPNETs were younger compared with patients with pPNETs. The prognosis of spinal cPNETs and pPNETs was poor with no significant difference between the entities. The most beneficial treatment modality is GTR combined with adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy.