[A case of vertebral giant cell tumor: clinical observation and treatment]

The authors describe a giant cell tumor of the 2nd lumbar vertebra with a bulky retroperitoneal manifestation, relapsed four months after surgical removal, cured through the association of cobalt therapy and chemotherapy, and which was followed by secondary vertebral instability with symptoms of neurological suffering, stabilized with posterior arthrodesis (Harrington plus bone grafting) with checks, after recovery, four years from the discovery of the tumor. The authors underline the difficulty of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of giant cell tumors localized in the vertebrae.