SACRUM - A RARE BONY SITE FOR TUMORS - A REVIEW OF OUR CASES

Background and Objective - Tumors of the sacrum are rare and they comprise 10 percent of all benign bone tumors and 6 percent of all malignant tumours. Primary benign and malignant tumors of the sacrum constitute fewer than 7 percent of all intraspinal tumors and may arise from bone, neural elements or bonemarrow. As in any other bone, metastases are the most common malignant tumors of sacrum with primary tumors located in lung, breast, kidney, prostate, head and neck, gastrointestinal tract and skin. This study analyses the clinical and pathological findings of sacral tumors reported in our institution in the past 6 years. Materials and methods - The clinical and pathological materials of 8 patients diagnosed as sacral tumors from Jan 2007 to Dec 2012 were considered for the study. The clinical and pathological findings were evaluated. Results - A total of 8 cases were reported and they included 3 cases of chordoma (37 percent), 3 cases of osteoclastoma (38 percent) and 2 cases of metastatic deposits (25 percent). Conclusion - Tumors of the sacrum can be derived from bone, bone marrow and hematopoietic elements. Metastatic deposits involving the sacrum are more common than primary tumors. Diagnosis of these neoplasms by morphological features is very important as the treatment and prognosis is different for different neoplasms.