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This 54-year-old man with a history of right-sided malignant mesothelioma presented with signs of a partial spinal cord syndrome. The tumor had invaded the lower trunk of the brachial plexus and spread along the T-1 nerve root beneath the arachnoid onto the spinal cord itself. Mesothelioma, despite its known predilection for local spread, is rarely encountered within the spinal canal. Neurotropism is commonly encountered in facial malignancies; however, it has never been reported to affect the brachial plexus and spinal cord.

A case of spinal epidural leiomyoma is reported in a 52-year-old man infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The tumor arose in the epidural region at the T-3 vertebral level, and the patient presented with radicular pain in the right T-3 dermatome. While soft-tissue tumors such as Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas have been well documented in association with HIV infection, this is the first reported case of primary spinal leiomyoma. Isolated cases of leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas in unusual locations have been reported, notably in pediatric HIV-positive patients, perhaps indicating a causal relationship. This case may represent further evidence of such an association.