Ependymoma of the spinal cord and cauda equina: a review

ABSTRACT

Ependymoma of the spinal cord and cauda equina is an uncommon tumor. Because it is rare, studies include few patients, who generally represent a selected group, depending on the referral pattern and specialty of the physician. The relative roles of surgery and radiotherapy are controversial. The authors review the literature to analyze patterns of treatment failure and to outline the natural history of the disease with a view to defining the roles of radiotherapy and surgery in the management of this tumor.