Surgical epidemiology of spinal cord tumors at Dr. Kariadi Hospital, Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

Link of Video Abstract: https://youtu.be/JhROjWPKuAc Background: Primary spinal cord tumors are rare central nervous system tumors that could develop at any age and have different management strategies based on the histopathological types. However, there is a lack of literature in Indonesia regarding the epidemiology and surgical treatment of patients with spinal cord tumors. This study aims to review and address the incidence of primary spinal cord tumors in Dr. Kariadi Hospital, Semarang. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using medical records of patients with spinal cord tumors at Dr. Kariadi Hospital, Semarang, Central Java, from 2019 to 2022. The frequency of each tumor, classified by gender, age, histologic type, anatomical position, and location based on vertebral segment, was analyzed to provide a descriptive result. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 for Windows. Results: A total of 125 patients were identified with the mean age of patients being 43.95 ± 15.28 years old and a slight predominance of males (52.00%). Schwannoma (26.40%) and meningioma (24.80%) were the two most common histological types of tumors. Most of the tumor was intradural extramedullary (47.20%) and at the level of thoracic vertebrae (46.80%). The histologic type of the tumors was found to be associated with the patient’s age and the tumor’s anatomical position. Conclusion: The incidence of spinal cord tumors in Dr. Kariadi Hospital, Semarang, is dominated by meningioma and schwannoma, mostly located at the thoracal level with an intradural extramedullary position. There is a significant association between the histological type of tumor and the patient's age and the location of the tumor