High failure rate in spinal ependymomas with long-term follow-up

Abstract

1528 Background: Data on spinal ependymomas are sparse, and the prognostic value of many clinical variables remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to review a historical cohort of patients with spinal cord ependymomas treated with post-operative radiotherapy and assess the impact of extent of resection and radiation dose on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We hoped the large patient number and long follow-up would lead to significant and relevant conclusions about a relatively rare and indolent disease. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with primary spinal cord ependymomas received postoperative radiation therapy from 1955–2001. The influence of radiation dose (range 45–59.4 Gy), extent of resection, KPS, tumor location, multifocality, and tumor grade was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: With a median follow-up of 157 months (range 8–492), 5-, 10-, and 15-year PFS rates are 75% ± 7.4%, 50% ± 9.1%, and 46% ± 9.3%, respectively, while OS rates a...