To discuss the clinical features, treatment and outcomes of primary spinal anaplastic ependymomas (PSAE).

Between January 2008 and October 2015, a series of patients with PSAE were surgically managed at Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University and enrolled into this retrospective study. This series included 11 consecutive patients (6 females and 5 males) accounting for 1.4% (11/765) of all case of spinal ependymomas during the same period. The average age at presentation was 22.7 ± 12.4 years (range: 8-44 years). The mean preoperative course was 3 months (range: 1.5-18.0 months). All those lesions were surgically treated and pathologically verified.

Gross total resection was achieved in 10 patients, and subtotal resection in 1 patient. Six patients received adjuvant radiation therapy and 1 patient received chemotherapy. During the follow-up lasting an average of 48.9±7.9 months (range: 17-110 months), excellent outcome was achieved in 4 cases, 3 remained stable and 4 deteriorated including 2 died. Five patients developed recurrence after 25.0 ± 7.2 months (range: 4-39 months), and 3 patients underwent a second operation.

PSAE seems to be a type of rare high-grade ependymomas and characterized by short preoperative course, fast progress, high rate of recurrence and poor outcome.

Ependymoma; Spinal cord neoplasms; Disease attributes; Primary