Tumors of the Central Nervous System ─ Spinal Tumors

This volume contains information on the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of spinal tumors. Various aspects of different major types of spinal tumors (astrocytomas, ependymomas, and oligodendroglioma) are discussed. Insights into the understanding of molecular pathways involved in tumor biology are explained. Classification of intradural spinal tumors, including the percentages of each of the three major types, is detailed. Symptoms, radiological features, and clinicopathological parameters of spinal cord tumors are explained. Diagnosis, outcome, and prognosis of primary spinal cord and oligodendroglioma are discussed. Diagnosis of some other spinal tumors (e.g., pilomyxoid and chordomas) is also explained. The useful role of neuroimaging in diagnosing spinal teratoid/rhabdoid and gangliogliomas is included. A wide variety of treatments of a number of spinal cord tumor types are presented in detail. Therapies discussed include chemotherapy, surgery, radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, Cyberknife stereotactic radiotherapy, standard radiation alone, and rhenium-186 intracavity radiation. Also are duiscussed embolozation and spondylectomy. The usefulness of transplantation of human embryonic stem cells-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors and motoneuron progenitors in the repair of injured spinal cord is emphasized. Symptoms of the advent of spinal tumors are pointed out. Introduction to new technologies and their applications to spinal cord tumor diagnosis, treatment, and therapy assessment are explained.