Metastatic Tumors of the Spine

Metastatic spine disease is the most prevalent form of spinal neoplasm. As the population ages and cancer is more effectively treated, the burden of metastatic disease to the spine is expected to increase. Although treatment of metastatic spine disease is palliative, circumferential decompression and stabilization of the spine followed by radiation in the appropriately selected patient has been shown to increase patients’ quality of life. Classically approached through open surgeries, percutaneous and minimally invasive approaches are becoming increasingly important. Optimal management of these neoplasms requires a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, and spine surgeons.