Philosophies And Surgical Techniques for Ewing's Sarcoma of Spine with Review of Literature

Introduction: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant and aggressive bony tumor affecting the most common age group of 5-20 years. It constitutes 10%-15% of all bone sarcomas and is the second most common primary malignant bone tumor after osteosarcoma. It usually presents with pain, which is typically constant and progressive in nature. The primary source of pain is due to the instability of the spine to support the weight of the body, the vertebral body's expanding cortices due to the growing mass, compression of nerve roots due to tumour mass, pathologic fractures, spinal cord compression, and invasion of tissue by the tumour mass.

Methods: We reviewed the literature on Ewing's Sarcoma of the spine to evaluate its etiology, clinical presentations, differential diagnosis, imaging modalities and management with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical management. PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Cochrane key articles were searched. Keywords like 'Ewing's Sarcoma,' 'Spine,' 'etiology,' 'treatment,' 'surgical management,' and 'en bloc resection' were used.

Discussion: The current management of Ewing's sarcoma of the spine usually involves three primary modalities: combination chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy. Recent improvements in combination chemotherapy (vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide +/- Ifosfamide and etoposide) are among the most significant factors for improving survival. Also, recent advancements in radiotherapy, instrumentation, and fusion techniques in surgical management have been demonstrated to improve local disease control and overall survival.

Conclusion: Primary Ewing sarcoma of the spine is a rare condition affecting the most common age group of 5-20 years, accounting for 1-3 cases/million/year. About 5 % of cases have spine involvement. Recent improvements in combination chemotherapy have improved the overall survival rates. Enbloc resection and/or radiotherapy have improved local control of the disease.