title: Sacral and non-spinal tumors presenting as backache. A retrospective study of 17 patients.
abstract: Among 1302 cases reported to our tumor registry, 78 presented with backache as primary symptom. 17 of these had non-spinal tumors, 7 pelvic, 6 sacral, 3 femoral, and 1 costal. There were long delays in making the correct diagnosis; some patients even had had spinal surgery. The mistakes were the classic ones: poor history, poor physical examination, poor radiological work-up. Analysis of these 17 cases suggests that standard spinal radiographs should include an AP pelvis film and a lateral sacral projection. Patients with persistent radiating pain and normal radiographs should have a Tc-99 scan. The correct diagnosis would have been made in all the cases if this protocol had been followed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, H.F. Verwoerd Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Lindeque
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D005266:Femoral Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007085:Ilium; D008875:Middle Aged; D010384:Pelvic Bones; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012447:Sacrum; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*