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Ependymoma - Best Hospitals, Doctors, Prices - Booking Health

Treatment of Ependymoma

Ependymoma | Information about hospitals and doctors | Rankings | Clinics | Prices | Send request to the hospital

Best hospitals and doctors for ependymoma treatment abroad

Leading hospitals

Cost for treatment

Diagnostic tests for ependymoma
1790
Chemotherapy of epindimoma (1 course)
5951.84
Radiotherapy of epindimoma
14064
Neurological rehabilitation Phase C
0.00
The University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich was founded in 1834. It combines long traditions with the very latest advances in modern medicine. The medical facility includes 33 specialized departments and 20 interdisciplinary centers, where patients can receive top-class medical care in all medical fields. The hospital annuall
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The Catholic Clinic Koblenz-Montabaur is a modern medical facility with an excellent reputation in Germany and abroad. The medical center is an academic clinic of the University Hospital Mainz, which gives patients the opportunity to take advantage of scientific advances and innovative treatments. The clinic has the widest possi
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According to the authoritative Focus magazine, the Charite University Hospital Berlin occupies the first place in the rating of the top German medical facilities! The hospital is one of the largest and leading university medical complexes in Europe. The hospital in Germany provides modern diagnostics and treatment of patients, a
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The University Hospital Freiburg is famous for its rich history and is one of the oldest and most prestigious medical facilities in Germany (one of the three best medical institutions in the country). The hospital was based on the Faculty of Medicine of the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, which celebrated its 550th anniver
According to the reputable Focus magazine, the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main ranks among the top German medical facilities! The hospital was founded in 1914 and today is a well-known German medical facility, which combines rich traditions and scientific innovations. A medical team of more than 6,500 employees cares about
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According to the Focus magazine, University Hospital Erlangen ranks among the best medical facilities in Germany! The hospital is one of the leading healthcare facilities in Bavaria and offers top-class medical care distinguished by the close intertwining of clinical activities with research and training of medical students. The
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University Hospital Ulm

University Hospital Ulm

Overall rating8.7 / 10
The University Hospital Ulm is an advanced medical complex that provides patients with high-class medical care using the very latest scientific achievements. The medical facility has been performing successful clinical activities for more than 40 years and has long earned an excellent reputation throughout Europe. The hospital r
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According to the Focus magazine in 2019, the University Hospital Würzburg ranks among the top national German hospitals! The hospital is one of the oldest medical facilities in Germany. The centuries-old traditions of first-class treatment are combined with the very latest achievements of modern evidence-based medicine and
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According to the reputable Focus magazine, the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden ranks among the top five German hospitals! The hospital is the benchmark for modern high-quality medicine. Positioning itself as a maximum care medical facility, the hospital represents all medical fields. There are 26 specialized depart
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According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf ranks among the top ten hospitals in Germany! Since its foundation in 1889, the hospital has taken a leading position in the European medical arena and still occupies it until today. A highly competent medical team of more than 11,000 employees takes care
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According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital Muenster ranks among the top German hospitals! The hospital belongs to the most prestigious medical institutions in Germany. The hospital is distinguished by a high professionalism of its doctors, state-of-the-art technological equipment and the availability of the most ad
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University Hospital Jena

University Hospital Jena

Overall rating8.9 / 10
According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital Jena regularly ranks among the top German medical facilities! The hospital has positioned itself as a multidisciplinary medical facility with a long history of more than 200 years. Since its foundation, the hospital has been constantly developing and modernizin
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The University Hospital Marburg UKGM offers patients modern diagnostics and comprehensive therapy at the international level. As a maximum care hospital, the medical facility specializes in all fields of modern medicine ranging from ophthalmology to traumatology and dentistry. The main areas of specialization of the hospital are
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According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is regularly ranked among the best medical institutions in Germany! The hospital is the largest multidisciplinary medical facility, as well as a leading research and training center in Germany and Europe. The hospital is proud of i
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According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital Halle (Saale) ranks among the top German medical facilities! The history of the hospital has more than 300 years, and during this time it managed to earn an excellent reputation not only in Germany, but throughout the world. The hospital positions itself as a s
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According to the prestigious medical publication Focus, the University Hospital Tuebingen ranks among the top five German hospitals! The hospital was founded in 1805, therefore it is proud of its long history, unique experience, and outstanding achievements in the field of medical care, as well as research and teaching activitie
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An ependymoma is a rare intramedullary spinal cord tumor that grows from the central canal cells. The neoplasm may develop in any part of the central nervous system. These tumors are more common in children than in adults. You can undergo your diagnostics and treatment of this disease abroad. You can find out the prices and choose the best medical care program on the Booking Health website.

Content

  1. Types of ependymomas
  2. Principles of ependymoma treatment
  3. Surgical treatment of ependymomas
  4. Radiation therapy for ependymomas
  5. Where to undergo your treatment for the disease?

Types of ependymomas

 

Spinal cord ependymomas are classified into three grades, but most neoplasms are benign. The prognosis for patients is generally favorable. On average, the 10-year survival rate for ependymomas is 80% in developed countries, but the statistics are worse for elderly patients. After 75 years, the 10-year survival rate is 28%. Patients between the ages of 20 and 45 have the best prognosis.

Grade I ependymomas include subependymomas and myxopapillary ependymomas that are slow-growing and rarely recur. Myxopapillary ependymomas almost always occur in the conus medullaris, cauda equina, and filum terminale, although uncharacteristic locations such as the cervical and thoracic spine have been reported as well. Chronic back pain is the most common symptom for this group of patients.

Grade II tumors are referred to as cellular, papillary, clear cell, and tanycytic ependymomas, while grade III tumors are referred to as anaplastic ependymomas. Clinical manifestations of the tumors largely depend on their location, but they usually do not cause any neurological symptoms.

Principles of ependymoma treatment

 

Surgical resection is considered the main treatment for ependymomas. The tumor must be completely removed, as total resection provides the best chance of recovery.

Preoperative diagnostics allow doctors to understand whether the tumor can be safely removed. If not, then a surgical biopsy is performed first to accurately determine the histological type of the tumor and better plan treatment, weighing all the risks and benefits of surgery.

Doctors strive to remove the entire tumor during surgery. Radiation therapy may be required after surgery. Radiation therapy sometimes becomes the main method of treatment if surgery is contraindicated.

Ependymoma treatment with chemotherapy is practically not used. Occasionally, it is used to delay radiation therapy in young children, as radiation is bad for the growing brain.

Surgical treatment of ependymomas

 

Surgery is the primary, and usually the only, treatment required for patients with ependymomas. Total resection is always preferable to subtotal resection. Most spinal cord tumors are located in the region of its cone (in the lower part). As a rule, these are benign neoplasms enclosed in capsules. When performing the operation, specialists abroad carefully remove the tumor along with the capsule. Such an approach provides a complete cure for the disease for most patients. If the capsule is damaged, the tumor cells will disperse, and recurrence may occur.

A laminectomy is used to approach the tumor. This procedure involves the removal of the vertebral arches. Surgeons abroad also perform operations using a hemilaminectomy, during which not both but only one vertebral arch is removed, which makes the surgical intervention less traumatic.

If the tumor spreads to more than three segments, there is a problem with the spinal stability, as the removal of the vertebral arches can disrupt it. An osteoplastic laminotomy, during which the vertebral arches are dissected and then fixed in place, can be performed in young patients. Some patients require stabilizing systems after surgery. Doctors at hospitals abroad implant dynamic systems that preserve spinal mobility. Unlike rigid vertebral fixation, this type of stabilization does not cause any degenerative changes in the adjacent spinal segments.

Surgery is always followed by an MRI. This diagnostic test allows doctors to assess the results of the surgical intervention, namely whether the tumor can be completely removed. If a residual tumor is detected, further management of the patient is determined by its size, location, the patient's health condition, and the histological type of the ependymoma. The treatment may be as follows:

  • dynamic monitoring (if the tumor does not grow, patients do not receive any treatment);
  • revision surgery with the removal of the remaining tumor tissue;
  • postoperative radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy for ependymomas

 

Radiation therapy is the second most effective treatment for ependymomas. The method can be used in the following cases:

  • after surgical removal of the grade 3 tumor;
  • after incomplete removal of the grade 1-2 tumor;
  • instead of surgery, if it is contraindicated for the patient;
  • in the case of tumor recurrence after its removal;
  • after surgical removal of the spinal myxopapillary ependymoma in patients under the age of 20 years.

The areas of exposure may vary. Physicians may irradiate just the tumor or the entire spinal cord. It depends on where the tumor has spread. Only in 15% of cases, ependymomas spread through the central nervous system, but they never go beyond it. The composition of the cerebrospinal fluid can tell doctors whether the tumor has spread. It is taken for analysis and tested for cancer cells.

Patients usually do not need irradiation of the entire brain or spinal cord, as a result of which doctors use only local irradiation of the tumor. In developed countries, healthcare professionals also use stereotactic radiation therapy, which allows for faster tumor irradiation with only 1-5 sessions required. 

Proton therapy is increasingly being considered as a treatment option for ependymomas due to its unique ability to preserve normal tissue. The method is used more frequently in children than in adults. It is available only in some specialized centers abroad. In addition, some of the centers only treat intracranial tumors but not spinal ependymomas. If you want to undergo your proton therapy to reduce the risk of side effects, the specialists from the Booking Health company will help you find the best center. However, it should be noted that prices for proton therapy will be higher than for conventional photon beam therapy. 

Where to undergo your treatment for the disease?

 

You can undergo your treatment for the disease abroad. Developed countries offer the services of specialized Spinal Surgery Centers that have vast experience in the treatment of spinal cord neoplasms. Treatment abroad has the following benefits:

  • accurate diagnostics of diseases;
  • state-of-the-art equipment at hospitals;
  • safe minimally invasive operations;
  • high percentage of cured patients;
  • maintaining the stability of the spine;
  • modern options for radiation therapy;
  • some hospitals use proton therapy, which is the safest method of irradiating ependymomas in children.

You are welcome to make an appointment for your diagnostics and treatment abroad on the Booking Health website. On our website, you can see the cost of treatment at different hospitals, compare prices, and choose a medical care program. Our specialists will help you select the best medical center and arrange your trip.

 

Authors:

The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!

 

Sources:

National Library of Medicine

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Google Scholar