Primary tumors of the axial skeleton. Experience of the Leeds Regional Bone Tumor Registry.

Primary tumors of the axial skeleton are rare and a survey of the Leeds Regional Bone Tumor Registry found them to constitute only 55 of the 1950 cases (2.8%). Chordoma was the most frequent tumor in the cervical and sacral regions as well as the most common diagnosis overall and osteosarcoma ranked second. Pain was the most frequent presenting symptom but over half the patients developed some neurological abnormality. In spite of treatment survival was poor in patients with malignant lesions or neurological involvement. The establishment of Bone Tumor Registries is the only way that sufficient data on large numbers of these rare tumours can be amassed to provide a valuable and otherwise unavailable source of information for research, education and service.