[Childhood spinal tumours]

We report a large series of 48 childhood spine tumors diagnosed and treated at our Hospital between 1986 and 2006. Spinal tumors in children are a rare and heterogeneous condition that frequently are diagnosed late because of their uncharacteristic clinical picture. Symptoms are usually limited to diffuse back pain or spinal deformities, prior to leg paresis or sphincter dysfunction. Diagnosis is usually made with MRI or CT. Treatment is surgical in most cases. The prognosis is variable due to the diverse histological findings and it may require the use of complementary treatments as chemotherapy or radiation.