Nurse, my back hurts: understanding malignant spinal cord compression.

Malignant spinal cord compression (SCC) is an oncologic emergency. SCC can be caused by direct extension of a tumor into the spinal cord or metastasis to the vertebral column, resulting in increased pressure on the spine (Huff, 2005; Prasad & Schiff, 2005; Purdue, 2004). Approximately 10%–15% of patients with cancer may develop SCC. See Figure 1 for a radiology image of SCC.