Roentgenologic aspects of spinal involvement by primary and metastatic Ewing's tumor

Abstract

Twenty-six patients with Ewing's tumor were studied. The spine was involved in eleven patients; the clinical and roentgenologic features of these are described. Four patients had primary Ewing's tumor of the spine; one showed uniform sclerosis of a single vertebra, a hitherto unreported finding. Two showed bone destruction; one showed no bone change on plain radiographs but there was complete obstruction on myelography. Two developed spinal metastases and died shortly afterwards. One patient is alive and well eight and a half years later. Seven patients had metastases to the spine from a non-spinal Ewing's tumor. All had neurologic complications. Plain radiographs showed no bone change in five; however, a paraspinal mass or an extra-dural mass shown on myelography, were relatively common. The mean survival time following spinal involvement was four months (range 1-12 months). No correlation was evident between the site of the primary lesion, the method of treatment, and the development of spinal metastases.