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Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. China.

Background: Although the adjuvant therapy of bisphosphonates in prostate cancer is effective in improving bone mineral density, it's still uncertain whether bisphosphonates could decrease the risk of Skeletal-Related Event (SRE) in patients with prostate cancer. We reviewed and analyzed the effect of different types of bisphosphonates on the risk of SRE, defifined as pathological fracture, spinal cord compression, radiation therapy to bone, surgery to bone, hypercalcemia, bone pain, or death as a result of prostate cancer.

Methods: A systemic literature search was conducted in PubMed and related bibliographies. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(18):e20107

Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yibin, Yibin City.

Background: Intramedullary cervical spinal cord teratomas (ICTs) are extremely rare, and diagnosis and treatment are challenging. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of ICT.

Method: The presentation, imaging manifestations, diagnosis, management, surgery findings, prognosis and histology were reviewed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses guidelines. Read More

JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc 2020 Mar;58(223):192-194

Department of Critical Care Medicine, B & C Medical College Teaching Hospital & Research Center, Birtamode, Jhapa, Nepal.

Intradural spinal epidermoid cysts are rare, benign lesions either acquired from trauma, surgery, lumbar puncture or arise as congenital lesions, particularly associated with spinal dysraphism. Epidermoid cyst arising from the spine with expansile destruction of vertebrae has not been reported yet in the literature. We report a case of 36-years male presented with history of fall 8 years back with progressive symptoms of lower back pain, weakness of left lower limb and bladder/bowel incontinence. Read More

Acta Neuropathol Commun 2020 Apr 23;8(1):57. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is most commonly diagnosed based on imaging criteria, with biopsy often reserved for pontine tumors with imaging features not typical for DIPG (atypical DIPG, 'aDIPG'). The histopathologic and molecular spectra of the clinical entity aDIPG remain to be studied systematically. In this study, thirty-three patients with newly diagnosed pontine-centered tumors with imaging inconsistent with DIPG for whom a pathologic diagnosis was subsequently obtained were included. Read More

Med Clin North Am 2020 May 14;104(3):525-538. Epub 2020 Feb 14.

Division of Palliative Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/ctsinclair.

Medical emergencies at the end of life require recognition of patients at risk, so that a comprehensive assessment and plan of care can be put in place. Frequently, the interventions depend on the patient's underlying prognosis, location of care, and goals of care. The mere presence of a medical emergency often rapidly changes an estimated prognosis. Read More

Acta Neurol Taiwan 2020 Mar;29(1):12-17

Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung branch, Taiwan.

Purpose: Guillain-Barré syndrome concomitant with spinal cord involvement, which is defined as Guillain-Barré syndrome and acute transverse myelitis overlap syndrome, is rarely seen in the elders. Here we present a 68-year-old female patient who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, as well as acute transverse myelitis at the same episode.

Case Report: This patient developed acute weakness of lower limbs, which then rapidly became tetraplegia and hyporeflexia within 5 days. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 10;139:136-141. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Department of Neurosurgery, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.

Background: Granular cell tumors (GCT) are rare soft tissue neoplasms with a nerve sheath origin, most often found in female adult populations. When these tumors arise in the central nervous system, they most commonly appear intradurally in the thoracic or lumbar spine. GCT malignancy rates vary and recurrence rates can be relatively high, thereby necessitating complete resection. Read More

Rev Med Liege 2020 04;75(4):201-202

Service de Médecine Interne, Diabète et Maladies Métaboliques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, France.

We presented a case of a 73-year-old woman presenting to the emergency department with a spinal cord compression secondary to a T2 mass lesion and needing emergency surgery. The lesion was consistent with a papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient had a previous history of thyroidectomy in a setting of a multinodular goiter 6 years before. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 3;138:440-443. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Spinal schwannomas are benign nerve sheath neoplasms that constitute about 30% of extramedullary spinal cord tumors. They are usually small, well-encapsulated tumors with low mitotic activity and concurrently carry a low risk of recurrence. Here, we report a case of atypical histologic variant of spinal schwannoma that had higher cellular density, nuclear atypia, and lack of encapsulation. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 04;382(14):1353-1359

From the Departments of Medicine (C.I., F.M.M., A.L.M., J.L.) and Neurology (H.V.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Departments of Medicine (C.I., F.M.M., A.L.M., J.L.) and Neurology (H.V.), Harvard Medical School - both in Boston.

N Engl J Med 2020 Mar;382(13):e23

Asian J Neurosurg 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):204-209. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Department of Neurological Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare, spindle cell neoplasms of the mesenchymal origin. Lesions localized to the spine are exceptionally uncommon, only described in the literature in case reports and small case series. While these lesions are typically benign, there are a few reports in which they recur or present as malignancies. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 29;34:169. Epub 2019 Nov 29.

Service d'Oto-Rhino-Laryngologie et de Chirurgie Cervico-faciale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Tingandogo, Tingandogo, Burkina Faso.

Epidermoid cyst is a benign embryonic tumor. It is an anomalous localization of ectoderm-derived tissue. Cervical epidermoid cyst is rare. Read More

Rinsho Ketsueki 2020 ;61(2):116-121

Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Asahi General Hospital.

An 85-year-old man presented with right eye ptosis and visual abnormalities. Due to a lack of abnormal findings on plain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and laboratory examination, prednisolone therapy was initiated, and ocular myasthenia gravis and ocular symptoms subjectively improved. However, anorexia and conscious disorder appeared during the same period, and he was hospitalized for scrutiny. Read More

Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi 2020 Feb;42(2):139-144

Department of Radiation Oncology, the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China.

To evaluate the prognostic factors of T1-2N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive radiotherapy. The clinical data of 196 patients with T1-2N0M0 ESCC who were treated with definitive radiotherapy in 10 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. All sites were members of Jing-Jin-Ji Esophageal and Esophagogastric Cancer Radiotherapy Oncology Group (3JECROG). Read More

Anticancer Res 2020 Mar;40(3):1475-1479

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Background/aim: An increasing number of patients undergo surgical treatment for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). However, the possible role of sex as an independent predictor of long-term survival has not been studied. This study aimed to examine whether sex is associated with long-term survival after surgical treatment in patients with MSCC. Read More

Front Oncol 2020 14;10:139. Epub 2020 Feb 14.

Department of Surgery, Faculdade De Medicina Do ABC, Santo André, Brazil.

von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHLS) is a rare, autosomal dominant genetic disease with high penetrance and variable phenotypic expression caused by variants in the gene. VHLS is associated with the presence of vascular tumors, often hemangioblastoma of the central nervous system, retina, or spinal cord and, less frequently, pancreatic cystic neoplasm, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, clear cell carcinoma of the kidney, endolymphatic sac tumor, pheochromocytoma, and paraganglioma. The authors report a case of a patient with VHLS with a rare pathogenic variant in the gene and with an optic nerve hemangioblastoma, a rare phenotypic expression. Read More

Front Oncol 2020 11;10:99. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

Primary spinal cord glioblastoma multiforme (scGBM) is an uncommon entity in pediatrics, and intracranial metastasis originating in spinal cord gliomas is very rare. A 7-year-old female presented with weakness in the limbs, paralysis of the lower limbs and incontinence. The initial MRI of the spinal cord revealed expansion and abnormal signals from T2 to T5. Read More

J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong) 2020 Jan-Apr;28(1):2309499019896099

Division of Radiation Oncology, QST Hospital, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan.

Background: Malignant solitary fibrous tumor (MSFT) arising from the spinal cord is extremely rare and poorly understood mesenchymal neoplasms: only a few MSFT in the spinal canal has been described. We describe the clinical course of the patient with MSFT arising from the thoracic spinal cord.

Case Report: We describe the clinical course of the patient and the radiological and pathological findings of the tumor. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2020 31;15:717-728. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Isfahan, Hezar Jerib, Isfahan, Iran.

Background: Kefiran is a useful polysaccharide made of branched glucogalactose which is produced by microorganisms. Here the anti-MCF-7 breast cancer cells activity of kefiran and cytokine productions (IL-6) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) treated by kefiran was studied. Also, the effect of using kefiran as a useful and cost-effective scaffold in neural stem cell culture (PC12 cell culture) was investigated. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2020 Feb;100(4):274-278

Department of Neurosurgery, Tian Tan Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100071, China.

To explore the application, advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive surgery for lumbar schwannoma. this study was a prospective, non-randomized controlled study with a trial group (minimally invasive surgery group) and a control group (traditional laminectomy group).For the patients with lumbar schwannoma hospitalized in the neurosurgical spinal ward of Beijing Tian Tan hospital, the surgeon communicated with them one-on-one to inform the patients of the advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive surgery through channels and traditional laminectomy. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2020 Feb;100(4):265-269

Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.

To compare and analyze the effect of minimally invasive surgery and traditional open surgery in patients with spinal canal tumors, including intraspinal and extraspinal communication tumors. From 2017 to 2019, 31 patients (minimally invasive channel group) were included in the neurosurgery department of Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, and 38 patients (open operation group) were selected as the control group. From the aspects of intraoperative condition, operative effect, postoperative muscle injury, postoperative complications, postoperative spinal stability, the minimally invasive access group and the open operation group were compared and analyzed. Read More

Dermatol Online J 2019 Nov 15;25(11). Epub 2019 Nov 15.

University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY.

Unilateral hyperhidrosis of neurological origin has been associated with head trauma, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathy, lesions of the hypothalamus, and cerebral or brainstem strokes. In this report, we describe a 61-year-old man with isolated sweating on the left side of his entire body. A right-sided brainstem meningioma producing mass effect is suspected as the underlying etiology. Read More

Phys Ther 2020 03;100(3):554-563

Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 1414, Houston, TX 77030 (USA).

Bones are the third most common site for cancer metastases, and the axial skeleton is the most frequent skeletal location. In a postmortem study, bone metastases were reported in 70% of breast and prostate cancer patients. Bone metastases from breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, and kidney cancers account for 80% of all bone metastases. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jan 3;12(1):e6548. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Neurosurgery, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.

Dumbbell spinal cord tumors are infrequent pathologic entities. The optimal approach to safe surgical resection is ill-defined and must often be individualized. This is assisted with multiple tumor classification systems. Read More

Med Clin North Am 2020 Mar 18;104(2):251-262. Epub 2019 Dec 18.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Select Medical, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA. Electronic address:

Cancer affects millions of individuals, and approximately half will develop functional impairments. Cancers that commonly, either from direct effects or from its treatments, result in functional impairments include breast, head and neck, brain, and spinal cord tumors. There is a plethora of potential impairments including pain, spasticity, dystonia, weakness, and neurogenic bowel or bladder. Read More

Zh Vopr Neirokhir Im N N Burdenko 2019 ;83(6):58-63

Burdenko Neurosurgical Center, Moscow, Russia.

Spinal intramedullary cavernous malformations are a rare vascular pathology of the central nervous system. They account for 3-5% of spinal cord diseases. The clinical picture in patients with cavernous malformations varies from an asymptomatic course to gross neurological deficit in the case of bleeding from a malformation. Read More

Adv Exp Med Biol 2020 ;1226:97-109

Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.

Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT) are rare entities for which there currently exist no standardized treatment paradigms. Consequently, patients usually receive treatment modalities that were established for intracerebral tumors; these approaches, however, typically result in functional impairment, recurrent tumor growth, and short overall survival. There is a distinct lack of promising research efforts in this field, which raises questions about whether spinal cord tumor microenvironment (TME) might promote the development, progression, and treatment resistance of IMSCT. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jan;99(3):e18800

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin, University Changchun, Jilin, PR China.

Rationale: Low-grade malignant fibrous myxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a malignant tumor that originates from soft tissues and has specific clinical and histopathological characteristics. Paravertebral LGFMS is rarely reported.

Patient Concerns: A 60-year-old woman had pain in the lower back and right anterior thigh for more than 3 years. Read More

Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2020 May 31;102(5):e94-e96. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, UK.

A woman in her late sixties was referred to the orthopaedic clinic with progressive lower limb weakness and gait disturbance. She was known to have breast cancer with pre-existing infiltrative disease in the left brachial plexus. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed an intramedullary spinal cord metastasis in the lower cervical cord at C6-C7. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 27;136:e614-e624. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address:

Objective: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery for spinal intramedullary benign encapsulated tumors remains unclear. A single-institute, 3-year, prospective study was conducted to examine HRQOL after microscopic total removal of spinal intramedullary ependymomas using a safe and precise strategy.

Methods: A cohort of 20 patients with a possible diagnosis of spinal intramedullary benign ependymomas was recruited. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jan;99(5):e18643

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Introduction: Metastatic mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the spine is a highly unusual disease without standard curative managements yet. The objective of this case report is to present a very rare case of metastatic chondrosarcoma to the spine successfully operated by surgical treatment. The management of these unique cases has yet to be well-documented. Read More

Neurology 2020 02 28;94(6):e651-e655. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

From the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

BMC Neurol 2020 Jan 23;20(1):34. Epub 2020 Jan 23.

Department of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 29, Gaotanyanzheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400038, China.

Background: Progressive spinal deformity has become a well-recognized complication of intracanal tumors resection. However, the factors affecting post-operative spinal stability remain to be further research. Here, we described the current largest series of risk factors analysis for progressive spinal deformity following resection of intracanal tumors. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 16;136:146-149. Epub 2020 Jan 16.

Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Intramedullary spinal cord cysts are benign, rare, fluid-filled lesions that can present anywhere along the craniospinal axis. However, when present at the level of the ventriculus terminalis, conus medullaris syndrome may occur. Radical resection of the cyst wall and evacuation of the cyst content are the 2 surgical procedures of choice. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 14;136:110-116. Epub 2020 Jan 14.

Department of Neurosurgery, National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

Background: Angiocentric glioma (AG) is an epileptogenic low grade (World Health Organization grade I) glial tumor with astrocytic and ependymal differentiation, most commonly affecting the pediatric and adolescent population. Despite its infiltrating histological growth kinetics, it is widely accepted that AG has a low potential for aggressive behavior.

Case Description: We present the case of a 42-year-old man who represents the first documented case of not only extracranial manifestation of AG, but also spinal metastatic dissemination. Read More

Anesthesiology 2020 02;132(2):357-372

From the Department of Anaesthesiology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

Background: Prolonged endoplasmic reticulum stress has been identified in various diseases. Inflammatory mediators, which have been shown to induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in several studies, have been suggested to serve as the important modulators in pain development. In this study, the authors hypothesized that the endoplasmic reticulum stress triggered by inflammatory mediators contributed to pain development. Read More

Prague Med Rep 2019 ;120(4):131-137

Department of Medicine and Department of Neurology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brasil.

The GBS/ATM overlap is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and acute transverse myelitis (ATM), which are two neurological autoimmune disorders. In this context, cat scratch disease (CSD) was rarely reported combined with this overlap. An adult female presenting fever, back pain, inferior limb weakness, and anuria was admitted to our hospital. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 10;136:66-69. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China. Electronic address:

Background: Giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) is a rare benign tumor. The jawbone is the most common site of occurrence, followed by sphenoid bone, craniofacial bone, hand and foot bones. The etiology of GCRG is unknown but may be related to an intraosseous hemorrhage following trauma. Read More

J Sci Med Sport 2020 Feb;23(2):105

BMC Neurol 2020 Jan 10;20(1):13. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Radiology, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.

Background: Transverse myelitis (TM) is due to inflammatory spinal cord injury with bilateral neurologic involvement, which is sensory, motor, or autonomic in nature. It may be associated with autoimmune disease, vaccination, intoxication and infections. The most common infection cause of TM is Coxsackie virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 7;136:37-43. Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Department of Neurosurgery, Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune, India.

Background: Intramedullary spinal cord dermoid tumors are rare. Early diagnosis with appropriate imaging is of utmost importance for a good outcome. Gross total resection is the treatment of choice for optimal results. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jan;99(2):e18756

Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.

Rationale: Liver transplantation (LT) is the preferred surgical option for the treatment of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In contrast, surgical treatment of progressive HCC metastasized to the spine following LT constitutes a considerable challenge. Here, we report the first case of progressive HCC metastasized to the T12 vertebra after local radiotherapy, treated successfully with en bloc lumpectomy following LT for HCC. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Mar 31;135:e748-e753. Epub 2019 Dec 31.

Department of Neurosurgery, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: Cervical meningiomas are uncommon intradural-extramedullary tumors that have a tendency to be situated anterior to the spinal cord. The optimal surgical corridor to reach purely ventral cervical meningiomas has not been established. This article presents a series of patients with ventral cervical meningiomas treated via 1 of 2 microneurosurgical approaches: the anterior approach with corpectomy and fusion or the posterolateral approach. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 30;136:e245-e261. Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Department of Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit, University of Health Sciences, Bakırköy Research and Training Hospital for Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: Myxopapillary ependymoma (MPE) is a rarely reported lesion of the spinal cord in the pediatric population. Based on their low mitotic index and slow-growth, MPEs are classified as low-grade glial tumors. However, MPEs have malignant characteristics, such as distant neural axis and extraneural axis dissemination. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Mar 30;135:297-300. Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India.

Background: Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DLGNT) is a recent addition to the World Health Organization classification schema of brain tumors, under the heading of neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors. DLGNTs have a classic imaging appearance. However, it has often been misdiagnosed owing to its rarity, its resemblance to granulomatous/leptomeningeal etiologies, and the clinical presentation. Read More

Ann Clin Lab Sci 2019 Nov;49(6):818-828

Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

The epidural space is an uncommon site for involvement by hematolymphoid malignancies, and may present unexpectedly with neurological symptoms related to spinal cord compression. Our objective was to review the clinical and pathologic features of cases with initial presentations of cord compression, subsequently diagnosed as a hematolymphoid malignancy after pathologic examination. Review of the Department of Pathology's archives revealed 15 patients who presented with spinal cord compression due to epidural hematolymphoid malignancies between 2008-2019. Read More

J Exp Ther Oncol 2019 Dec;13(2):155-158

Department of Neurosurgery, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Objective: Schwannomas are benign slow growing tumors that arise from myelin producing Schwann cells. Schwannomas developing in cervical-dorsal region are rare benign neoplasms which are emerges leisurely remains asymptomatic some times and functionally inactive tumours. Giant Schwannomas extending over two or more vertebral levels have been documented and attempts have been made to classify these in available literature, however inadequate. Read More

No Shinkei Geka 2019 Dec;47(12):1223-1229

Spine and Spinal Cord Center, Aichi Medical University.