Tumors involving the sacral spine are rare lesions that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Symptoms may be minimal during the early stages of disease, and the clinical evaluation of these lesions is often delayed. Thus, sacral tumors are…
Approximately 500,000 deaths occur per year from complications of metastatic disease. It is estimated that among living cancer patients, 10% experience symptomatic secondary metastases, with the most common sites of distant metastases being the liver, lungs, and skeleton. Within the…
Clinical Pearls Metastatic tumors to the spine mandate a multidisciplinary approach involving the surgeon, radiation oncologist, oncologist, and interventional radiologist. Patients presenting with metastatic tumors to the spine are stage 4 cancer patients, with poor systemic disease control. Management in…
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Please note that the copyright for the original figures submitted by the contributors is owned by Contributors. Introduction Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are both primary malignant (locally aggressive) bone tumors. Chordomas are considered the…
Summary of Key Points Percutaneous computed tomography–guided biopsy should be performed in patients when diagnosis may influence the decision to proceed with surgery or the extent of surgery. It is critical that wide negative margins are obtained in tumor resection.…
Summary of Key Points Establishing histopathological diagnosis is critical to understanding the natural history, aggressiveness, and likelihood of the tumor to respond to chemotherapy, radiation, or other adjuvant treatments. Once accurate diagnosis is established, surgical planning requires knowledge of the…
Chapter Preview Chapter Synopsis Primary tumors of the spinal cord comprise 5% to 15% of all central nervous system (CNS) tumors. They can be divided into two main categories based on anatomic origin: intradural extramedullary or intramedullary spinal cord tumors.…