Low back pain in tumors: diagnosis and treatment

On the basis of the authors' experience in the treatment of 257 skeletal neoplasms of the lumbar spine, the features of back pain, which in 96% of the cases constitutes the first symptom of these diseases, are discussed. The overall clinical aspects firstly depend on the stage of the primary tumor: latent, active, aggressive for benign tumors; intra- and extra-compartmental for malignant tumors. Symptoms may include elements which suggest specific lesions, such as osteoid osteoma, eosinophilic granuloma, aneurysmal bone cyst, or high-grade malignant tumors such as Ewing's sarcoma, while lumbar metastasis from carcinoma do not seem to have distinctive features. Site and localization of the tumor are also important variables. The treatment of neoplastic back pain depends on diagnosis, and cannot be adequate if it is not planned on the basis of a complete preoperative study, taking into account not only surgery, but also adjuvant therapy.