Cancer can spread (metastasize) to the spine from other areas of the body. This can be especially common in patients who have cancer in the lung, breast or prostate. Metastatic spine tumors — tumors that spread to the spine from another part of the body — can cause many problems such as pain, compression of the spinal cord and paralysis.

If you have a metastatic spine tumor, you need care from our neurosurgeon who has specialized experience in treating these types of tumors with minimally invasive approaches that have been shown to do the following:

• Cause less pain and less blood loss
• Require shorter hospital stays
• Result in faster recovery
• Allow many patients to begin chemotherapy or radiation therapy more quickly

Advanced Techniques

At Rush, neurosurgeons have access to advanced techniques and technologies to treat metastatic spine tumors, including the following:

• Image-guided computer-assisted spinal surgery
• Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, minimally invasive spinal procedures to treat vertebral compression fractures that can be caused by the spread of a tumor
• Minimally invasive techniques to remove tumors in the spinal cord and spinal column (bone)
• Minimally invasive techniques to stabilize the spine
• Nerve conduction monitoring and studies to evaluate damage to the nerves and to minimize nerve damage during surgery
• Spinal angiography to evaluate the blood vessels in the spine, helping to confirm a spine tumor and its location
• Three-dimensional CT scans and advanced software to visualize blood vessels and tissue to remove tumors to the greatest extent possible without harming critical areas of the spine

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