Untitled

Abstract

Anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) is a malignant, primary tumor of the central nervous system. AA often occurs due to transformation from lower-grade astrocytomas or less commonly arises as a de novo tumor. WHO classification of AA is characterized by increased cellularity, nuclear atypia, increased mitotic activity, presence of glial markers, and absence of neuronal markers. Astrocytomas are the most common intramedullary tumor within the spinal cord in pediatric patients, and have the second highest incidence in adult patients with intramedullary spinal cord tumors, behind ependymomas. However, primary tumors of the spinal cord are rare, accounting for 3-6% of tumors located in the central nervous system. In a patient with spinal cord AA, the median survival from surgery to death is 6 months to 1 year. We report a case of primary AA within the spinal cord along with a brief review of the literature.