It Looks Like a Spinal Cord Tumor but It Is Not

Abstract

Differentiating neoplastic from non-neoplastic spinal cord pathologies may be challenging due to overlapping clinical and radiological features. Spinal cord tumors, which comprise only 2–4% of central nervous system tumors, are rarer than non-tumoral myelopathies of inflammatory, vascular, or infectious origins. The risk of neurological deterioration and the high rate of false negatives or misdiagnoses associated with spinal cord biopsies require a cautious approach. Facing a spinal cord lesion, prioritizing more common non-surgical myelopathies in differential diagnoses is essential. A comprehensive radiological diagnostic approach is mandatory to identify spinal cord tumor mimics. The diagnostic process involves a multi-step approach: detecting lesions primarily using MRI techniques, precise localization of lesions, assessing lesion signal intensity characteristics, and searching for potentially associated anomalies at spinal cord and cerebral MRI. This review aims to delineate the radiological diagnostic approach for spinal cord lesions that may mimic tumors and briefly highlight the primary pathologies behind these lesions.