[New advances in the management of thoracolumbar spine metastasis]

Vertebral metastases affect 20 to 50% of cancer patients and represent a major turning point in the disease from the functional impact they generate. Early treatment is mandatory to prevent or treat any neurological compression. Due to the high variability of clinical and radiological presentations, best care requires a multidisciplinary team, involving oncologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists and spine surgeons. Recent advances in radiotherapy and interventional radiology have offered various efficient therapeutic solutions with relatively low morbidity rate in the management of symptomatic spine metastases. However, surgery remains the standard treatment for patients with rapidly progressive spinal cord compression or significant osteolytic lesion leading to a high risk of fracture. However, conventional surgical strategies are associated with significant morbidity and contraindicated in patients in poor general condition. In addition, postoperative complications are likely to affect patient's quality of life and delay the initiation of anticancer therapies. In order to reduce iatrogenic lesions, new "minimally invasive" techniques were developed to achieve immediate stabilisation and decompression while reducing the morbidity of the approach. We aim to inform the reader of the existence of these techniques so that each patient can benefit from treatment best suited to their situation.