Surgical treatment of primary tumors of the sacrum

Twenty-two patients with primary tumors of the sacrum were surgically treated between 1983 and 1997. Seventeen male and 5 female patients were followed up for a mean of 53.6 months (range 12-203 months). The histopathologic diagnoses were giant cell tumor (GCT) in 7 patients, chordoma in 4 patients, aneurysmal bone tumor in 3 patients, chondrosarcoma in 2 patients, osteoblastoma in 2 patients, synovial sarcoma in 2 patients, Ewing's sarcoma in 1 patient, and simple bone cyst in 1 patient. Currettage and thermo- or chemocauterization was applied to 8 patients, a subtotal sacrectomy was done in 11 patients, and total sacrectomy and lumbopelvic stabilization was done in 3 patients. The surgical margins were wide in all patients with GCT. The surgical margins were wide in 3 patients and wide contaminated in 1 patient with chordoma. The 2 patients with chondrosarcoma had high sacral lesions and were managed with total sacrectomy and lumbopelvic fixation. The surgical margin was wide in 1 patient and wide contaminated in the other, who relapsed locally and systemically in the 30th postoperative month. Three patients with aggressive aneurysmal bone cyst and 1 patient with simple bone cyst were managed by curettage and thorough debridement. One patient with low sacral Ewing sarcoma was managed by subtotal sacrectomy with wide margins. The two osteoblastomas were localized to the posterior elements of the sacrum. None of the patients relapsed. Most of the tumors of the sacrum are benign aggressive lesions or low grade malignancies. Intralesional resections in the form of curettage, with the addition of chemo- or thermocauterization, provide a complete cure for benign lesions. In contrast, wide resections are necessary for complete disease control in radio- and chemoresistant malignancies. Nerve root dissection should be performed in order to achieve wide margins.