[Primary tumors of the spine. A multicenter cooperative study]

This chapter incorporates 206 observations from the different neurosurgery units which replied to the questionnaires on primary tumours of the vertebral column. A homogeneous data bank, analysed and processed using the Excel database, was established by retranscribing each observation into 32 sections. The majority of the sample population (fig. 1) was male and included 42 observations of subjects under the age of 18 years, thereby constituting one of the largest series in this age range. The global histological distribution demonstrates a predominance of malignant tumors in the adult (65%) with no sexual bias. In children, malignant (19 cases) and benign (23 cases) tumours are more homogeneously distributed (fig. 3 and 4). The different histological types encountered are listed in table I in order of frequency. In order to make it easier to read the following tables, the numerical code given to each histological type is indicated in table II. Chordomas (code 14), which most authors classified among the malignant tumours, are situated in a transitional zone between benign tumours (from 1 to 13) and malignant tumours (from 15 to 37) on the various graphs. Histological distribution in adults (fig. 5) demonstrates the existence of two peaks in the malignant tumor zone: the highest peak correspond to the chordomas, the other to solitary myelomas. In children (fig. 6), distribution is different: the benign osteoblastoma and the aneurysmal bone cyst are the most common benign tumors, and the most common malignant tumor observed is Ewing's sarcoma. The different tumor sites along the spinal axis are reported in figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)