Surgical treatment of myxopapillary ependymoma: an institutional case series of 56 patients.

MPEs are benign tumors that arise predominantly from the filum terminale. Resection can be curative, especially for well-marginated tumors arising from the proximal filum terminale. Despite their benign nature, the tumors' lack of a capsule, friable tumor consistency, and frequent direct contact with the CSF and cauda equina create a propensity for local recurrence and CSF dissemination, especially for larger and distally originating tumors. Thus, long-term follow-up is recommended for all patients as is early surgical intervention for small, incidental MPEs.