Giant cell tumour of the seventh cervical vertebra

A 43-year-old man presented with bubbly expansion and rarefaction of the body of the seventh cervical vertebra. The lesion involved the right side of the vertebral arch and had a soft-tissue component extending mainly anterior to the vertebra. Histopathologic examination of the specimen obtained by open biopsy revealed a giant cell tumour. Giant cell tumours of the spine, excluding the sacrum, are rare. Radiographically, they may be confused with metastatic carcinoma, plasmacytoma, lymphoma, chordoma and even benign lesions, particularly aneurysmal bone cyst and brown tumour of hyperparathyroidism. However, giant cell tumour occurs mainly in younger patients, involves the vertebral body selectively in most cases and has a bubbly appearance associated with rarefaction and expansion of the vertebral body, characteristics that may be helpful in the diagnosis.