Study Design Twenty-nine patients with primary bone tumors and solitary metastases of the
thoracolumbar spine treated with en bloc resection are reviewed retrospectively. Objective
To demonstrate the possibility to apply in the spine the same principles of surgical oncology
adopted for primary bone tumors of the limbs.

Twenty-nine patients with primary bone tumors and solitary metastases of the thoracolumbar
spine treated with en bloc resection are reviewed retrospectively. The surgical oncologic
staging systems currently applied in limb tumor surgery are difficult to apply to spinal tumors.
The anatomic conditions make extralesional surgery difficult or impossible, which has
restrained a more common use of resection surgery in the spine. Focus is put on a new
surgical staging system and en bloc vertebral resection. Twenty-five primary malignant and …