Biopsy of vertebral tumour metastasis for diagnosing unknown primaries

Purpose. To examine patients with vertebral tumour metastasis using transpedicular biopsy for diagnosing unknown primary tumours. Methods. 13 men and 8 women aged 41 to 80 (mean, 61) years with vertebral tumour metastasis of unknown primary origin underwent transpedicular biopsy of the affected vertebra. Results. The origins of the primary tumours were lung cancer (n=6), prostate cancer (n=5), colorectal cancer (n=5), kidney cancer (n=4) and lymphoma (n=1). All the specimens matched pathological characteristics of their corresponding primary tumours, except in one patient. This 42-year-old man had stage-4 colon cancer, in whom the pathologic findings could not enable differentiation between colon and prostate cancer. Conclusion. Transpedicular biopsy of the vertebra is a cost-effective diagnostic tool for evaluating unknown primary tumours.