Giant cell tumor of the spine. Surgical findings

The authors report 5 cases of giant cell tumor surgically treated. After a mean follow-up of 7 years posterior stabilization alone in the latent form, and wide intralesional curettage in the four aggressive forms allowed for suitable treatment of the lesion, with remission of symptoms leaving stability of the spine intact. Radiation therapy was used successfully in only 1 case of local recurrence occurring 4 months after surgical treatment. Unlike localizations of giant cell tumor in other skeletal segments, whether or not margins are left intact does not seem to influence clinical results.