title: Tanycytic ependymoma in a 76-year-old Puerto Rican male.
abstract: Ependymoma is a slowly growing tumor in children and young adults originating from the wall of the ventricles or from the spinal canal that is composed of neoplastic ependymal cells. Tanycytic ependymoma is a rare variant of ependymoma usually arising in the intra medullary spine. The World Health Organization classifies the tanycytic ependymoma as a grade II tumor. The diagnosis of tanycytic ependymoma is challenging since the morphology of the lesions resemble those found in schwannoma and astrocytomas. In the present study, we show a case of a 76 years old male with a progressive paraparesis for 8 years, due to a spinal tumor. Radiological and histological studies were used to classify the tumor as tanycytic ependymoma. Therefore, it is important to be aware of tanycytic ependymoma and its immunohistochemistry profile in older patients, especially within the Caribbean Hispanic population. To our knowledge this is the oldest patient known to have this rare tumor and the first case reported in Puerto Rico.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Science and Mathematics, Bayamón Campus, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico Bayamón, PR 00956, USA.
authors.forename: Yvis del Mar
authors.initials: Ydel M
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Hato Rey Pathology Lab Caguas, PR 00725, USA ; Department of Pathology, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Juan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pérez Berenguer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mercado Acosta
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Neuroradiology, HIMA San Pablo Hospital Caguas, PR 00726, USA.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: de Jesús-Garces
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA.
authors.forename: Irving E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Vega
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D063928:Ependymoglial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011647:Puerto Rico; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Caribbean Hispanic; Tanycytic ependymoma; ethnicity; spinal cord; tumor