Metastases are secondary foci of a cancerous tumor that originated from the cells of the primary foci elsewhere in the body. With bone cancer, and especially - the spine, metastases account for up to 90% of all tumors, and primary foci there is very rare. Most often, metastases in the spine give rise to lung, milk and prostate cancer, kidney and adrenal tumors. Significantly less often - cancer of the stomach and uterus.
Symptoms of metastases in the spine
The main symptom of such metastases is dull pain in the back, in the region of the affected vertebra. Pain can sometimes appear even earlier than the symptoms of the primary tumor, and in that case it is often taken for signs of osteochondrosis, rather than metastases in the spine.
In the future, neurological symptoms caused by compression of the spinal cord may appear: violation of the sensitivity of the limbs, numbness in the legs, which subsequently leads to violation of urination, paresis, paralysis. If metastases are observed in the cervical spine, then they are accompanied by severe pain in the neck, which in the end can begin to give into the hand, and when squeezing, there is a dysfunction not only of the lower but also of the upper limbs. If there is compression of the spinal cord, surgical intervention is necessary.
Diagnosis of metastases in the spine
The presence of bone metastases is usually determined by scintigraphy - a procedure where a patient is injected with a harmless isotope that concentrates in the lesion and allows it to be localized with the help of special equipment. This method is used for primary diagnosis. When confirming the diagnosis, to clarify the area and nature of lesions, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, biochemical studies are performed.
Treatment of metastases in the spine
Tumors of any type can not be treated independently. Treatment should be comprehensive, conducted exclusively under the supervision of a doctor, with strict adherence to recommendations. If you do not pay attention to treatment, then with metastases in the spine, the prognosis may be unfavorable, up to paralysis and death in the shortest possible time. In general, the treatment of metastases in the spine is carried out, as well as the treatment of any other tumors, depending on the type and extent of the lesion.
The main types of treatment with metastases in the spine include methods such as:
- Radiation therapy - the most dangerous from the point of view of the appearance of fractures and the most painful zones are exposed to irradiation. Sometimes cardio-nucleoid therapy is used (the use of different isotopes, for example, strontium chloride 89).
- Chemotherapy - used in the complex therapy, focused on the treatment of both primary and secondary lesions. It requires careful monitoring and control of biochemical blood parameters and mucosal conditions.
- Hormonal therapy - is applied to tumors, the primary cause of which were susceptible to hormone damage: cancer
ovaries, breast, etc. - The use of bisphosphonates - special drugs that inhibit the activity of osteoclasts and prevent or reduce bone destruction.
- Removal of tumors by surgery.
Operative intervention is carried out in the following cases:
- pathological vertebral fractures, complicated by compression of the spinal cord; root syndrome with instability of the spine;
- an increasing compression of the spinal cord or an uncontrollable drug-induced pain syndrome.