FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE AFIP - PRIMARY TUMORS OF THE SPINE - RADIOLOGIC-PATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION

Primary tumors of the spine are relatively infrequent lesions compared with metastatic disease, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma. However, whe n a solitary lesion of the spine occurs, these neoplasms represent an important group of entities for diagnostic consideration. A wide varie ty of benign neoplasms can involve the spine, including osteoid osteom a, osteoblastoma, aneurysmal bone cyst, giant cell tumor, enostosis, a nd osteochondroma. Common primary nonlymphoproliferative malignant neo plasms of the spine include chordoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor, and osteosarcoma, The imaging featur es of these lesions of the spine are often characteristic, These chang es include a small sclerotic focus with irregular thorny margins in th e vertebral body (enostosis), a small radiolucent nidus with central c alcification in the posterior elements of the vertebral body (osteoid osteoma), a large expansile lesion with multiple fluid-fluid levels (a neurysmal bone cyst), and an aggressive mineralized mass (chondroid or osteoid) with osseous and soft-tissue involvement (chondrosarcoma or osteosarcoma). Radiologists should be aware of the appearance of these unusual neoplasms in order to provide a complete differential diagnos is and to guide clinical colleagues in patient treatment.