Giant cell tumor (GCT; also known as osteoclastoma) is a locally aggressive, intermediate
primary bone tumor characterized by osteoclast-like, multinucleated giant cells and
the overexpression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kB ligand (RANKL) produced
by stromal tumor cells. The tumorigenesis seemed to be associated with mutations of
a histone (H3F3A) gene. Prevalence of GCT can be different in different regions/ethnical
groups; e.g., GCT is rare in the United States—approximately 4 to 5% of primary bone
tumors—but more often occurs in China where it is 10 to 20%.[1] Local recurrence is common in surgically treated cases. Globally, malignant transformation
has been described in 10% of cases, and lung metastases have been described in 1 to
4% of cases. Metastasizing can occur in benign, primary lesions as well and more frequently
in recurrent GCTs and in spinal lesions.[2]
[3] According to the Enneking surgical staging system, GCT is rarely S1 (latent); in
90% of cases, it is S2 (active with extensive cortical thinning and bulging) or S3
(aggressive with soft-tissue component). Management of GCT is often challenging and
requires a multidisciplinary approach. In the spine, the osteolytic lesion can result
in pathological fracture and consequential instability. Furthermore, the locally aggressive
expansion of the tumor can cause neurological symptoms even in its early stage. The
Enneking appropriate, en bloc resection of an S3 spinal lesion is a technically challenging
surgery with high risk for perioperative complications and functional loss.
The case report of Santiago-Dieppa et al demonstrates the complexity of such a surgery.
Regarding the differential diagnosis, on one hand, the imaging studies present the
typical diagnostic findings in the case of spinal GCT: lytic, aggressive tumor in
L4–L5 with local extension across the L4–L5 disc and to the spinal canal. On the other
hand, the patient was 58 years old. That age is not typical for the appearance of
a GCT, which is usually diagnosed in the second to fourth decade. The patient had
local and irradiating pain but no neurological symptom. Considering the unpredictable
nature of the tumor and the high risk for local recurrence, the authors performed
an en bloc L4–L5 spondylectomy followed by lumbopelvic reconstruction. The description
of the technical details of the two-stage surgery clearly shows the difficulty of
the management of such a patient; however, more data on the total time of the surgery,
blood loss, and hospital stay would have been more informative. In the reported case,
the sagittal alignment is properly reconstructed, but I would have been also interested
about the bone-grafting procedure, which is the key element of the long-term stability
of the lumbopelvic reconstruction. Despite the proper surgical technique and the careful
perioperative care, complications occur in almost all of these patients. The reported
deep wound infection and CSF leak are the most common complications after en bloc
lumbar spondylectomies and lumbopelvic stabilization procedures. However, in some
cases, the short- and long-term outcome of extended spinal surgery is not as good
as in this patient.
The recently described pathological importance of the RANKL in the tumorigenesis of
GCT led to human trials of the anti-RANKL monoclonal antibody (denosumab) in the management
of the disease. Osteoclasts and their progenitors are dependent on RANKL, and the
giant cells in the tumor produce unknown factors important for the survival of the
stromal tumor cells. Denosumab was originally developed for the treatment of osteoporosis,
but its inhibitory effect on osteoclasts blocks the bone resorption and the tumor
progression in GCT. Moreover, in the absence of RANKL, the less cellular stroma starts
to produce new osteoid matrix. After the successful phase 1 and 2 trials, denosumab
was recently registered for the treatment of unresectable GCTs. Most of these studies
comprised patients with GCT in the appendicular skeleton. The first report, with medium-term
follow-up, about the use of denosumab in spinal GCT has been recently published by
Mattei et al who treated successfully a 22-year-old female with a C2 GCT, applying
denosumab after a posterior stabilization procedure.[4] The open-label, parallel-group, phase-2 study about the safety and efficacy of denosumab
in GCT also included 75 spinal cases (26.5%).[5] In the overall cohort, use of the drug was associated with the inhibition of tumor
progression and the reduced need for morbid surgery with an acceptable safety profile.
Unfortunately, sub-analysis of spinal cases was not reported in this study, despite
the importance of the possible surgical morbidity–reducing effect. The first results
promise to bring significant changes to the current therapeutic standards, but further
multicentric studies on the effect of denosumab in spinal GCT are required to include
the drug into the first-line treatment.
