CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 7 CASES OF SPINAL-CORD TERATOMA - A POSSIBLE GERM-CELL ORIGIN

Aims: To establish the clinical and pathological aspects of teratoma a ffecting the spinal cord. Method and results: We reviewed our neurosur gical records for the last 15 years and found seven cases of teratoma of the spinal cord, The cases were reviewed clinically radiologically and pathologically using immunohistochemical markers to identify vario us tissue components, We found that spinal cord teratoma is an extreme ly rare tumour of spinal cord affecting patients aged 23-47 years and of approximately equal male to female distribution. The terminal porti ons of spinal cord and intradural location of the tumour are common, T hree cases were associated with vertebral anomaly, Most tumours showed benign (mature) components derived from more than one germ cell layer ; one showed malignant adenocarcinomatous component, All cases were tr eated by surgical resection and two recurred at 6 and 10 year interval s without malignant transformation. Conclusion: Spinal cord teratoma i s a rare, mainly benign tumour, which could be associated with vertebr al anomaly, The pathogenesis of this tumour is controversial, possibly due to germinal cell aberration.