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Definition |
Common complications due to bone metastases include bone pain, vertebral collapse or deformity, pathological fractures and spinal cord compression. Cementation is an effective treatment for painful spinal fracture, whatever its origin, clearly improving both pain and QoL. However, it is still important to offer standard palliative surgery, which can be effective for managing osteoblastic metastases. Impending spinal cord compression is an emergency. It must be recognised early and patients should be educated to recognise the warning signs. Once suspected, high-dose corticosteroids must be given and MRI performed as soon as possible. A systematic neurosurgery consultation should be planned to discuss a possible decompression, followed by external beam irradiation. Otherwise, external beam radiotherapy, with or without systemic therapy, is the treatment of choice.
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