title: Pediatric spinal ependymomas: an unpredictable and puzzling disease. Long-term follow-up of a single consecutive institutional series of ten patients.
abstract: METHODS
  Ten consecutive children (0-18 years) who underwent primary tumor resection for a spinal ependymoma between 1980 and 2011 were included in this retrospective study. Gross motor function and activities of daily life were scored according to the Barthel Index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three out of six pediatric patients treated for spinal myxopapillary ependymoma are disease-free after 11 to 33 years of follow-up. The other three have progressive disease, after relapses occurring after 4.5, 7, and 20 years, respectively. One out of two patients with grade II ependymoma had progressive disease from 10 years after initial surgery but is in full-time work in spite of widespread metastatic disease after 32 years. One of the two children with grade III tumor died from progressive disease 17 years from primary diagnosis, while the last one is tumor-free after 19 years. The quality of life is good for three of the four patients with widespread disease, and they are managed conservatively aiming at symptomatic treatment intervention if necessary. We strongly advocate lifelong follow-up for children treated for spinal ependymomas.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4950, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway, tryggve.lundar@ous-hf.no.
authors: Tryggve
authors: T
authors: Lundar
authors: Bernt Johan
authors: BJ
authors: Due-Tønnessen
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Scheie
authors: Petter
authors: P
authors: Brandal
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*