title: Malignant triton tumor in the thoracic spine.
abstract: We present a 15-year-old patient diagnosed with peripheral neurofibromatosis (NF-1), who was admitted with paraparesis caused by a large intrathoracic tumor with an intracanalicular component that affected the spinal cord. After surgery his condition improved, but a year later he suffered a relapse and died. Histologically the tumor was diagnosed as malignant with neurogenic and myogenic differentiation ("malignant triton tumor"). Malignant triton tumors (MTT) are infrequent; those found in the head and neck and the upper or lower extremities have a better prognosis than those in the retroperitoneum, buttock, or trunk. It is not clear whether this variation is due to a difference in tumor grade, stage, or resectability, or whether it is a consequence of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Service of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isla
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casillas
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gil
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed