Re: A Possible ependymoma diagnosis

Posted By CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS on January 11, 1999 at 13:42:07:

In Reply to: A Possible ependymoma diagnosis posted by Katherine Caldwell on January 09, 1999 at 17:56:48:






Here's my problem: I recently had an MRI that shows a blob of blood in
my spinal chord. My neurologist thinks it is blood from an ependymoma
around the 5th vertebrae in my neck. Because I have had nerve pain in my
hand and tingles in my torso for several months, getting worse as time
goes on, he suspects it reflects the growth of this tumor and believes
immediate surgery is necessary. I know nothing about this, I'm scared
and I'm hungry for knowledge. Are there any neurologists who have
experience with this or hospitals that specialize in this? How about some websites for ependymoma survivors? I live in Asheville, NC where there is a sound medical community serving the western part of the state, but maybe there are specialized facilities elsewhere. Please email me with any resources.
Dear Kathrine:
Sorry to hear about your spinal cord bleed.  It does sound worrisome as blood should not be in the cord.  Not having seen the workup nor examining you I can not give you a certain diagnosis.  But, the sooner rather than later a diagnosis can be obtained the better.  What will need to happen is a biopsy of the area.  The problem with the spinal cord is that all of it is tissue of need, so biopsy is a problem.  I would suggest going to the best neurosurgeon possible, and your neurologist should be able to give you a few names.  Being in North Carolina there are some wonderful Medical Centers.  What usually happens if the pathology comes back as an ependyoma, then radiation and chemotherapy are likely required.  This is a pretty slow growing tumor so survival over the short span is good.  Until you get the biopsy back, there is not a diagnosis so try and not place too much emphasis on a "possible" diagnosis.  I wish you well and let's hope it is not an ependyoma. Any good neuro-oncology text would have information on ependyomas.
Sincerely,
CCF Neuro MD