Postoperative Results of Spinal Metastases

We evaluated postoperative results in fifteen patients with metastatic spinal tumor who underwent surgical treatment between 1989 and 2000. There were eleven males and four females with a mean age of sixty-four years (range: forty-eight to seventy-seven). The primary tumor was prostate cancer in five, lung cancer in four patients, etc. The level of spinal metastases was cervical in three and thoracic spine in eleven. We treated the patients surgically with anterior procedure in three and posterior procedure in twelve. For fixation, spinal instrumentation was employed in five patients.As a result, five of the fifteen patients recovered from their paralysis and twelve of fifteen patients attained pain relief. The rate of survivl was 42.9 percent at three months, 30.8 percent at six months, and 23.1 percent at one year.Surgical treatment for spinal metastases is effecticve for improving the quality of life in patients with severe pain of progressive paralysis. However, the indication of surgical treatment for spinal metastases must be determined carefully, taking into consideration their general condition, variety of primary cancer, and prognosis of each patient.