Giant cell tumor of the cervical spine: review and case report

Abstract

The giant cell tumor of bone is a primary neoplasm, which can be locally aggressive, benign or low grade malignant tumors, that is uncommon in the vertebrae above the sacrum and even more rare in the cervical spine. Tumor radical excision, “en bloc” is considered the ideal treatment, however frequently not doable, mainly in the cervical spine due to critical neurovascular structures involvement. Adjuvant radiotherapy can be used in cases of subtotal resection or tumor relapse, lowering recurrence rates of the tumor. Case report: female patient, 25 years-old, presenting with cervical pain e sensitivity disturbance in her left arm, with diagnosis of bone neoplasm in C3-C5. She underwent subtotal resection of the lesion, confirming the diagnostic of giant cell tumor of bone, cervical spine arthrodesis and adjuvant radiotherapy. On 30-month follow-up, she was out of pain complains with total recovery of the left arm sensibility.

Upper cervical spine giant cell tumour of the vertebra – Case Report

“…According to a study performed by the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, USA), up to 6.5% of GCTs develop in the spine and account for 7-10% of primary spinal tumours, the sacral bone being the site most often affected area [19]. The upper cervical spine is a very rare location for this neoplasm, reported to be less than 1% of GCT cases [20,21,9,22].…”

Pediatric Upper Cervical Spine Giant Cell Tumor: Case Report

“… 9 In the cervical spine, the incidence is extremely low and has been reported to be less than 1% in the literature. 1 5 GCTB usually occurs after bone maturity, is slightly more prevalent in females, and is rare in the pediatric population. 1…”

“…1 The axial skeleton above the sacrum, especially the upper cervical spine, is an uncommon location for GCTB. 1 2 3 4 5 …”