contribution of surgery in solitary plasmacytoma of spine; a case report

solitary plasmacytoma of bone is a rare malignant tumor mostly involving the axial skeleton. the tumor occurs in middle- aged or elderly people (mean age: 55 years) and has a high risk of progression to multiple myeloma. radiotherapy is the preferred treatment for this disease. we report a case of recurrent solitary plasmacytoma of the fourth lumbar vertebra in a 35-year-old male. the patient suffered from intractable pain due to a pathologic fracture and instability. we performed two-stage posterior and anterior surgical procedures on him. our method was useful for immediate pain relief and early return to activity, spinal decompression and biomechanical stabilization of the involved vertebra. afterward, the patient underwent radiotherapy as the adjuvant therapy. the patient is asymptomatic without any recurrenceafter a one-year follow up. we recommend surgery as an appropriate option for patients with intractable pain as a result of pathologic fracture, vertebral instability, neurological compromise, failure of radiotherapy or a combination of these disorders.