Intramedullary spinal cord astrocytoma versus glioblastoma: the prognostic importance of histologic grade.

Fourteen patients with intramedullary spinal cord astrocytoma (Grades I, II) or glioblastoma (Grades III, IV) were seen at a major referral center over a 19-year period. Although similar surgical and radiotherapeutic techniques were used for each group, the nine patients with astrocytoma had a five-year actuarial survival rate of 89% with five patients alive and well at least five years after treatment; none of the five patients with glioblastoma survived past three years. Histologic grade is the most important factor affecting prognosis for patients with intramedullary spinal cord astrocytomas or glioblastomas, and long-term survival can be achieved postirradiation for many patients with astrocytomas with improved neurologic functioning in most.