Abstract
Introduction: Giant cell tumours are locally highly aggressive and extremely unpredictable bone tumours. Treatment of spinal GCTs remains controversial. We report our experience of 11 Giant cell tumours of the spine identified from the Scottish Bone Tumour Registry.
Materials and Methods: Details of 11 cases of histologically confirmed Giant cell tumours of the spine (9 benign and 2 malignant) between 1960 and 2004, were extracted from the Scottish Bone Tumour Registry. The casenotes and radiographs were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: There was a slight feminine predominance of 7 cases. Mean age was 34 years (range, 16 to 61 years). The sacrum (5) was most common location, followed by lumbar (3), thoracic (2) and rarely in cervical (1). Operative intervention was carried out in 5 (curettage-1; excision-5). Three also received supplemented bone grafts. Radiotherapy (including some of the operative cases) was administered in 9 patients. There were 5 recurrences (45.4%). There were 7 survivors 2 of whom still had evidence of persistent primary disease. Two died with unrelated illnesses and two from local recurrences.
Conclusions: Axial GCTs behave aggressively with a high recurrence rate (45%). Radiotherapy is useful in the management of GCTs of the spine and conservative surgery with local radiotherapy is a viable treatment option in some selected patients.
Correspondence should be addressed to BASS/BCSS c/o BOA, at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE, England.
