Giant-cell tumour of the sacrum in a child

Giant-cell tumours rarely are seen in children before epiphyseal fusion occurs and such tumours in the spine are uncommon. The authors report the case of a giant-cell tumour of the sacrum that developed in a 12-year-old girl before epiphyseal fusion. Embolization with activated microfibrillar collagen relieved her symptoms and was carried out twice before progression of the tumour necessitated radiotherapy. Giant-cell tumours of the spine are particularly difficult to manage since the accepted treatment for such tumours at other sites is wide resection, excisional curettage or surgical curettage with chemical cautery. However, embolization alone or combined with other methods of treatment is valuable, particularly in non-resectable giant-cell tumours of the spine.