Heliyon (Jul 2023)
A case of extramedullary subdural spindle cell hemangioendothelioma of the thoracic spinal cord treated curatively with radiation therapy
Abstract
Background: Spindle cell hemangioendothelioma (SCH) is extremely rare. Only four cases have been reported in the spinal cord (Mahdavi et al., 1996; Abdullah et al., 2002; Nasser et al., 2016; Talan-Hranilović et al., 2007) [1-4]. In addition to surgery, radiotherapy is another effective treatment for spinal cord SCH. Two patients received radiotherapy to a total dose of 50–55Gy and benefited from it. For the treatment of this benign tumor, no one has tried to lower the radiation dose so far. Description:We report a 56-year-old man with extramedullary subdural SCH located in the T10-T11 spinal cord. Low back pain and muscle weakness are the main manifestations. Postoperative follow-up MRI examinations were performed three months after surgery showed residual tumors, he subsequently received radiotherapy and benefited from it. We gave a radiation dose of 40Gy for the first time. The neurological symptoms completely returned to normal four months after radiotherapy, and no recurrence occurred in the follow-up of 24 months. Conclusion: Epidural lesions are more likely to occur in the upper segment of the thoracic spine for SCH. For patients with inoperable or residual surgery and deep tumors located in the functional area, radiotherapy can be used as the main treatment method. A total radiation dose of 40Gy could achieve good control of SCH and greatly reduce the probability of spinal cord injury.
