Tanycytic ependymoma of the spinal cord: Case report

Abstract

Tanycytic ependymoma is a rare fibrillary variant of ependymoma with preferentially located along the length of spinal cord. This report documents a 41-year-old woman underwent surgical treatment for a cervical intramedullary tumor. Magnetic resonance imaging showed intramedullary cystic lesion, in the cervical spine. Histologically the tumor was consisted of markedly elongated spindle-shaped cells, which were immunopositive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and EMA. Although only a few in number, detection of ependymal rosettes led the diagnosis as a tanycytic ependymoma. Since a complete resection was performed at surgery, no further treatment was proposed. It is important for both management and prognosis, to distinguish pathologically tanycytic ependymoma from pilocytic astrocytoma and schwannoma.