Surgical Management of Metastatic Spine Disease

Metastatic disease of the spine is a common and troublesome complication in many cancer patients. Metastases may cause debilitating pain and neurologic dysfunction, significantly limiting functional ability and quality of life. With advances in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical techniques, the treatment of metastatic spine disease has facilitated improved quality of life for many patients. Surgical advances have allowed more aggressive surgical decompression, debulking, and stabilization for vertebral metastases. With an aging population and as more patients survive longer with their burden of disease, surgical management of metastatic spine disease will become more prevalent.