Surgery for primary vertebral tumors: en bloc versus intralesional resection

The decision to select en bloc resection or intralesional resection needs to be tailored to each individual patient and circumstance. Though complete resection with long-term progression-free survival is the goal, it is not always feasible, nor advisable, depending on what the patient's expectations are and what the risk of complications may be. However, in cases with favorable circumstances and consensus agreement between physicians, surgeons, and patients, aggressive en bloc removal of spinal tumors can be extremely valuable and may offer the only chance at cure for otherwise devastating malignancies.