Tumours arising from the spinal nerve roots are more common in men between the third and fourth decades of life, located mainly in the intradural space of the lumbar region. The clinical symptoms of spinal schwannomas and neurofibromas are similar and depend on the location of the tumour and its relationship to the spinal cord and nerve roots. The pain (radiculalgia and/or vertebralgia) is the earliest symptom, followed by sensory deficit, while motor deficits and sphincter disorders are late symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging is the diagnostic tool of choice and should be performed when the disease is suspected, as early and accurate diagnosis is essential for treatment outcome. The treatment of these lesions is surgical aiming at total tumour resection that promotes neurological recovery and prevents from recurrences. Subtotal removal also provides favourable outcome but at higher recurrence rates. The aim of this literature review was to study some important characteristics of sporadic spinal schwannomas (SSS) and neurofibromas (SSN), i.e. those notassociated with neurofibromatosis type I and II.

We report a case of 56-year-old patient suffering from myxopapillary ependymoma of filum terminale at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra. The patient presented with progressive complaints of permanent pain in the anal and sacral region with duration of 8 months. When sneezing or attempting to do brisk movements, the pain irradiated to the posterior surface of the right thigh. Vertebral syndrome was absent. Neurological examination demonstrated no other abnormalities. Magnetic-resonance imaging showed intradural tumor of cauda equina at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra. The present article discusses the role of MRI in the diagnosis of clinical cases presenting with atypical lumboradiculalgia. We have put an emphasis on the early diagnosis of myxopapillary ependymoma of filum terminale which has an impact on the surgical strategy and postoperative outcome.

Endometriosis is a non-tumor, estrogen-dependent, chronic gynecological disease, which is characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the endometrium of the uterus. Endometriosis affects between 10% and 15% of women in reproductive age. It is often associated with chronic pelvic pain and reproductive difficulties. Endometriosis can be classified as ovarian, extra-ovarian or mixed. Adenomyosis is considered, by some authors, as a separate variant of endometriosis. It is diagnosed as the presence of ectopic benign endometrial glands and stroma in the myometrium, where the minimal distance from the endometrio-myometrial junction is 2-4 mm. Our study includes 224 cases of women with endometriosis with different locations - in the myometrium (adenomyosis), in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, soft tissues and appendix as well as in combination with other conditions of the uterine body, such as endometrial carcinoma, leiomyomas, endometrial hyperplasia, polyps and atrophy and cervical cancer. There are cases of coexistence of several conditions in the same patient, and we are trying to find the reason behind this.

Introduction: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process of change in the cellular phenotype from epithelial to mesenchymal morphology. The changes at the cellular level can explain the great heterogeneity and plasticity in the different histological subtypes of gastric carcinomas, which causes difficulties in therapy. In it, epithelial cells reduce intercellular adhesion, which is crucial in the process of invasion and metastasis of gastric carcinomas. Inhibition of cell adhesion molecules such as E-cadherin is known to be influenced by a number of transcription factors, such as Snail and Twist. Materials and methods: Our study aims to examine immunohistochemically the expression of the transcription factors Snail and Twist in 69 patients with gastric cancer and to look for a link between their expression and clinical and pathological characteristics. Results: Positive expression of Snail and Twist was observed in all cases studied by us. We observed heterogeneity and different intensity of immunohistochemical expression. There is a correlation between the immunohistochemical expression and the degree of differentiation of tumor cells and the tumor stage. The cells of poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas show diffuse and strong nuclear staining. No correlation was found between the expression of the two markers, age, and sex of the patients. Conclusions: Evaluating the expression of the two markers studied may help to assess tumor progression and prognosis. They can be used for more accurate and effective diagnosis in precancerous lesions and in early gastric cancer because they are not expressed in the normal gastric mucosa.

Only a few cases of intramedullary meningiomas in the cervical and thoracic region have been reported in the literature. We present a rare case of intramedullary meningioma in the lower thoracic region. A 68-year-old woman with complaints of back pain, gait disturbance, and paresthesias in both lower extremities for 4 months was admitted to our institution. Initially, she presented with weakness in her legs that gradually deteriorated over time. The patient had been operated on for breast cancer 2 years prior to the onset of current complaints. The neurological examination revealed spastic inferior paraparesis (McCormick grade IV), hypoesthesia below Th10 dermatome, bowel and bladder disturbances. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine demonstrated intramedullary tumor that was hypointense on T1 and T2-weighted images but showed homogenous enhancement after gadolinium administration. After gross total resection, the histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of atypical intramedullary meningioma. CONCLUSION: The intramedullary meningiomas are extremely rare, but they should not be excluded from the differential diagnosis, especially in cases of intramedullary tumors with homogenous enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging. The best treatment strategy is gross total removal of the tumor.