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SURGICAL TREATMENT İN METASTATIC TUMORS OF SPINE

  • Mehmet ALTINMAKAS
  • Can SOLAKOĞLU
  • V. KIRDEMİR
  • M. YAMAN

J Turk Spinal Surg 1994;5(3):126-127

Most of the spinal tumors are metastatic tumors. These require close follow-up and exact timing for surgery since they could cause destruction of vertebral body, thus creating instability.

We operated 15 cases with metastatic tumors of spine in Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department of Gülhane Military Medicai Academy betvveen 1988 and 1994.

Average age of the patients was 45 (range: 20-63). 4 of the cases were female and 11 were male. Average fol-low-up period was 3 years.

The surgical intervention to this kind of patients shouid not be much aggressive. Stabilization and decompres-sion vvithout fusion is satisfactory especiaiiy in the patients with multible metastasis. We found it noticable that the early loosening of transpedicular screws applied close to target vertebral body could be seen at the patients un-der radiation therapy. İt is more saf e to keep the fixation long enough in this particular situation.

The histopathological diagnosis of primary origin of the metastatic foci were as follows in our cases: Breast cancer, hypernephroma, plasmocytoma, renal celi ca., lung cancer and adeno ca. We determined the primary pa-thology of 3 cases with surgery. Oncological treatment must be applied together with the surgical treatment in the metastatic cases.

The aim of the surgical treatment is; to prevent medullary compromise, to cease pain vvith stabilization, to aug-. ment the effect of chemotherapy and radioterapy by way of elimination of tumor and to enable an increased life standart to the patient.

Keywords: Surgical treatment, metastatic tumor, spine