Between 1992 and 1996, 5 patients with the giant-cell tumor of the spine were treated. Four were female and one was male. The mean age was 34 years old, and the mean follow-up time was 36 months. The locations of the lesions were the cervical spine in 1, the thoracic spine in 3, and the lumbar spine in 1. Pain was the predominant presenting symptom in all cases and four had a neurological deficit. A combined anterior and posterior surgical approach wds as performed in all cases, which were also treated with AIF(anterior interbody fusion) and anterior and/or posterior instrumentation. Adjuvant radiation therapy was performed in 1 case of cervical spine. At the final follow-up, the pain and neurologic symptoms were improved. Radiologic examination showed no evidence of local recurrence and no failure of instrumentation of the spine.