What is the most common symptom of cancer metastasis to the spinal column?

Pain is the most common presenting complaint in patients with spinal metastasis.

What is vertebral metastasis?

Vertebral metastases represent the secondary involvement of the vertebral spine by hematogenously-disseminated metastatic cells. They must be included in any differential diagnosis of a spinal bone lesion in a patient older than 40 years.

Can you survive metastatic spine cancer?

Conclusions: Most patients with spinal metastases have a limited life expectancy and should be treated with caution regarding surgical procedures. Radiotherapy is a safe and effective, noninvasive treatment modality for pain.

What type of cancer metastasizes to the spine?

Lung, prostate, and breast cancers are the three most common cancers that tend to spread to the spine.

How long can you live with metastatic spine cancer?

The mean post-treatment survival time of the 207 patients with lung cancer-derived metastatic spine tumors was 8.26±12.15 months (range 0.2–114 months).

How is spinal metastasis treated?

Spinal metastases can be treated by surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, in addition to pain medications. These strategies are often combined and rarely used alone. Studies have shown that combination treatments increase patients’ ability to walk, urinate/defecate, and survive longer.

What is the most common presenting symptom of spinal tumor?

Back pain is the most frequent symptom for patients with either benign or malignant neoplasms of the spine. Neurologic deficits secondary to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots also can be part of the presentation.

How long can you live with metastatic spinal cancer?

In general, only 10% to 20% of patients with spinal metastases are still alive two years after these metastases are diagnosed.

What happens when cancer metastasizes to the spine?

Metastatic Spinal Tumors of the Bone Cancer cells typically reach the spine via the bloodstream, after which they enter the bone marrow and begin to multiply. Tumors within the vertebrae can weaken the bone, eventually causing them to fracture.

What is the most common symptom of cancer metastasis to the spinal column? Pain is the most common presenting complaint in patients with spinal metastasis. What is vertebral metastasis? Vertebral metastases represent the secondary involvement of the vertebral spine by hematogenously-disseminated metastatic cells. They must be included in any differential diagnosis of a spinal bone…