Skeletal metastases - the role of the orthopaedic and spinal surgeon

Developments in oncological and medical therapies mean that life expectancy of patients with metastatic bone disease (MBD) is often measured in years. Complications of MBD may dramatically and irreversibly affect patient quality of life, making the careful assessment and appropriate management of these patients essential. The roles of orthopaedic and spinal surgeons in MBD generally fall into one of four categories: diagnostic, the prophylactic fixation of metastatic deposits at risk of impending fracture (preventative surgery), the stabilisation or reconstruction of bones affected by pathological fractures (reactive surgery), or the decompression and stabilisation of the vertebral column, spinal cord, and nerve roots. Several key principals should be adhered to whenever operating on skeletal metastases. Discussions should be held early with an appropriate multi-disciplinary team prior to intervention. Detailed pre-assessment is essential to gauge a patient's suitability for surgery - recovery from elective surgery must be shorter than the anticipated survival. Staging and biopsies provide prognostic information. Primary bone tumours must be ruled out in the case of a solitary bone lesion to avoid inappropriate intervention. Prophylactic surgical fixation of a lesion prior to a pathological fracture reduces morbidity and length of hospital stay. Regardless of a lesion or pathological fracture's location, all regions of the affected bone must be addressed, to reduce the risk of subsequent fracture. Surgical implants should allow full weight bearing or return to function immediately. Post-operative radiotherapy should be utilised in all cases to minimise disease progression. Spinal surgery should be considered for those with spinal pain due to potentially reversible spinal instability or neurological compromise. The opinion of a spinal surgeon should be sought early, as delays in referral directly correlate to worse functional recovery following intervention. Patients who suffer a slowly progressive deficit, present within hours of complete neurological deficit, or have compression caused by bone alone are those most likely to benefit from surgery. Back pain in the presence of MBD should be regarded as impending spinal cord compression, and investigated urgently to allow intervention prior to the development of neurological compromise.