The perioperative management of skeletal metastases

Bone metastasis is a common problem affecting a significant proportion of patients with metastatic cancer. Bone metastasis can present in a number of ways and the patients may need surgical stabilisation of their lesions. There are many important considerations in the care of these patients that need to be borne in mind including their increased anesthetic risks and potential risk of complications. There are continuous developments in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment with advances in imaging, orthopaedic technique and medication, particularly radiopharmaceuticals and cytotoxic, endocrine treatments with newer treatments based around the tumour cell-osteoclast interaction. Having a better understanding of these considerations and developments is important in allowing the optimisation of the care of the patient with bone metastasis.