Osteosarcoma of the Spine

We treated rare cases of osteosarcoma arising in the spine. They were one male and three females. The patients' age ranged from 13 to 62 years (average, 36.5 years old). The tumors were located in the thoracic and lumbar spine: one in Th 3, two in Th 11 and one in L 1.All cases showed paraplegia and pain in the involved area at the first visit. In three cases treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, there was no recovery of the paraplegia, and the average survival period was nine months.On the other hand, in one case in which spinal decompression and reconstruction with Luque rod was done, temporary recovery of paraplegia was obtained.We think surgical decompression and spinal reconstruction contribute to the improvement of the patients' quality of life.