Spinal Cord Tumors
In spinal cord tumors, parallel to technological advances, the increase in diagnostic possibilities and the development of surgical techniques, especially microsurgical methods, have increased treatment success rates.
The incidence of spinal cord tumors in the community varies between 2-10/100,000. Classifying spinal cord tumors according to their location provides convenience in diagnosis and treatment. For this reason, the relationship with the dura mater (the outer layer of the spinal cord membrane) is taken into consideration in the classification. Accordingly, spinal cord tumors are grouped as extradural, intradural extramedullary, and intramedullary. Of all spinal cord tumors, 55% are extradural, 40% are intradural extramedullary, and 5% are intradural intramedullary tumors.
Most extradural tumors are metastatic tumors, while the rest are primary spinal cord tumors. Most extramedullary spinal cord tumors consist of neurofibroma and meningioma. 90% of intramedullary spinal cord tumors consist of ependymoma, astrocytoma, and hemangioblastoma.
