Spinal metastatic disease is a rather common occurrence and definitely warrants attention and treatment due to the high likelihood of leaving cancer patients severely disabled in their final months of life. Recent developments in the understanding of the behavior of different tumor types, as well as advances in surgical treatment, are allowing for the evolution of treatment algorithms, especially when surgical treatment is to be considered. This paper gives an overview of the decision-making process and the array of surgical options currently available.
Keywords: Spine – surgery; Spine – pathology; Spinal neoplasms, secondary; Neoplasm metastasis – surgery; Palliative care – methods; Algorithms; Decision support techniques.