Surgery for cancer that has spread to the spine is extensive and recovery can be long. It is always appropriate to carefully consider all options including surgery and other treatments because many patients with metastatic spine cancer have a limited lifespan.
The most important reason to do surgery is that some patients will beat the odds and become long-term cancer survivors. This patient—who was 58 years old at the time of her surgery—is one such a story.
She presented with back pain and Leiomyosarcoma which had spread to the L1 vertebral body. Radiation treatments and cement injection to L1 were tried by the oncologists but her vertebrae collapsed anyway. The first 2 MRI pictures show the progressive collapse.
She was taken to surgery about 4 1/2 years ago and the entire L1 vertebrae and tumor was surgically removed from the front and back with the help of a vascular surgeon. I had to place extensive hardware from the front and back to support the missing vertebrae. She recovered well. Recent CT scans showed no further cancer in the spine. (Photos 3-5.)
Unfortunately, not all patients with metastatic tumors to the spine do nearly this well. This is one more case that represents why I, as a neurosurgeon, try to do the best for all my patients, no matter how challenging their case!
– Dr. Michael, M.D.
