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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Treatment of Liver Metastases Using an Internal Target Volume Method for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Published on: May 8, 2018
Radiotherapy or surgery for spine metastases?
Olga Zaikova1, Sophie D Fosså, Oyvind S Bruland
1Department of Orthopaedics, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. olga.zaikova@oslo-universitetssykehus.no
Background And Purpose:
Radiotherapy (RT) remains the cornerstone of management of spine metastases (SM), even though surgery is a well-established treatment for selected patients. We compared the use of RT and surgery in a population-based cohort of patients with SM, investigated pre-treatment factors that were associated with use of these treatment modalities, and examined survival.
Patients And Methods:
903 patients in the south-eastern Norway who were admitted for RT or surgery for SM for the first time during an 18-month period in 2007-2008 were identified and their medical records were reviewed.
Results:
The primary treatment was surgery in 58 patients and RT in 845 patients, including 704 multiple-fraction (MF) and 141 single-fraction (SF) RT schedules. 11 of 607 patients without motor impairment (2%) and 47 of 274 patients with motor impairment (17%) underwent primary operations. 11 of 58 operated patients and 244 of 845 irradiated patients died within 2 months after the start of treatment. 26% of those who received multiple-fraction RT or surgery died within 2 months.
Interpretation:
Motor impairment was the main indication for surgery. Better identification of patients with short survival is needed to avoid time-consuming treatment (major surgery and long-term RT).