Characteristics of spinal dissemination in adult low-grade glioma: a retrospective cohort study at a single institute.

BACKGROUND

In adults, metastatic spinal dissemination (MSD) in low-grade glioma (LGG) is an unusual phenomenon of the central nervous system. This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics of adult MSD in LGG and its course.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed from June 2011 to July 2021 in adult LGG patients with MSD treated at the Oncology Department of the Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University. The time to MSD and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier plotting. A univariate analysis was performed using a logarithmic-rank test, and a multivariate analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Thirteen adult LGG patients with MSD were enrolled in this retrospective study. Most of the primary tumors were grade II (92.3%) or astrocyte derived (7.7%). The median total OS time from the initial surgery, the time to MSD and the OS time after MSD of the 13 adult LGG patients was 45.0, 15, and 16 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Adult LGG patients with MSD had a poor prognosis. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was highly recommended in adult LGG patients. Maybe parts of patients appeared to experience prolonged clinical benefits from systemic salvage chemotherapy and intrathecal injection after MSD. Novel modalities need to be explored to improve the outcomes of patients with MSD.