2021 Volume 58 Issue 3 Pages 292-295
Spinal cord compression occurs in 4–5% of pediatric cancers, and spinal cord tumors are often diagnosed on the basis of spinal cord compression symptoms. Spinal cord tumors often present as an oncologic emergency, and the severity of neurological deficits before treatment is an important factor in predicting neurological prognosis. We encountered four pediatric neoplastic disease patients diagnosed with spinal cord compression symptoms. The interval between symptom onset and tumor diagnosis was 3 to 36 days. The patients were histopathologically diagnosed as having Ewing’s sarcoma, malignant rhabdoid tumor, and acute myeloid leukemia. Neurological deficits were assessed using the Frankel classification. One patient with complete paralysis (Frankel grade A) at the time of diagnosis did not recover. Three patients whose motor or sensory function is incomplete loss at the time of diagnosis recovered after the treatment (Frankel grades B and C improved to grade D). Early treatments before complete paralysis might improve neurological prognosis.
