Giant Cell Tumor of the Thoracic Spine in a Young Female Patient in a M?xico City Spine Center: A Case Report

Objective: Unusual clinical courseBackground: Giant cell tumors of the bone (GCTB) are rare, locally aggressive benign neoplasms that primarily occur in the metaphyses of long bones. In less than 2% of cases, GCTBs arise in the spine, predominantly below the sacrum. We report the clinical manifestations, diagnostic approach, and successful surgical treatment of a patient with a GCTB of the thoracic spine.Case Report: A 21-year-old female patient presented to the Emergency Department with back pain and upper motor neu-ron syndrome. A thorough clinical and imaging examination revealed a tumor and pathological fracture of the T7 vertebra. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of a GCTB. The tumor was successfully excised surgically via a posterior thoracic approach, including bilateral decompressive laminectomy, lateral costotrans-versectomy, and posterior corpectomy, followed by transpedicular instrumentation of the T5-T6 and T8-T9 ver-tebrae, and anterior arthrodesis with an autologous graft. The patient also received adjuvant radiotherapy. One year later, the patient had no signs of recurrence or physical limitations.Conclusions: GCTBs located in the thoracic spine are uncommon and pose a significant challenge for healthcare profession-als due to their non-specific clinical manifestations and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to their man-agement. This case highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of a GCTB of the thoracic spine and describes a successful surgical strategy resulting in complete recovery. The presented case adds to the lim-ited published literature on GCTBs in this unusual location and further elaborates on their presentation and management.