Primary intraspinal neoplasms in Norway, 1955 to 1986. A population-based survey of 467 patients.

A survey of all patients (173 males and 294 females) registered with primary intraspinal neoplasms in the Norwegian Cancer Registry from 1955 through 1986 is presented. Annual age-adjusted incidence rates of new tumors per one million population were three for males and five for females. Altogether, 89% of the tumors were verified histologically. Meningioma was the most common tumor type, followed by ependymoma and neurilemoma. Intraspinal ependymomas accounted for 34.5% of all 223 ependymomas of the central nervous system, whereas only 0.2% of the 3046 glioblastomas were found intraspinally. Patients with intraspinal meningioma had a better life expectancy than those with intracranial meningioma. The 5-year relative survival rate for patients with intraspinal ependymoma was 88.9% in contrast to 24.4% for patients with intracranial ependymoma.