[A case of a metastatic spine tumor treated using a multidisciplinary approach]

A 5 0-year-old man who was a hepatitis B carrier was admitted with back pain due to bone metastasis of the 12 th thoracic vertebra(Th12)in November 2011. He had been diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2010 and underwent liver resection following hepatic arterial chemoembolization. He presented with performance status(PS)2 and a numeric rating scale(NRS) pain score of 8 out of 10 at the time of admission. We started the patient on radiation and drug therapy, but lower limb muscle weakness(manual muscle test[MMT]grade 4 out of 5, Frankel D classification)occurred on day 12 after admission. Therefore, we immediately consulted the orthopedician, and the patient underwent posterior decompression fixation on day 15, followed by radiation therapy and rehabilitation. Even after discontinuation of all analgesics, his pain level on the NRS was 0, and he had no progressive muscle weakness. We ensured long-term care as well as nursing home visits. The patient was discharged on day 61. We have a variety of criteria for the selection of surgery for spinal metastasis, including Tokuhashi, Tomita, and Katagiri scores. The patient's general condition and prognosis are important factors to consider when selecting surgical therapy. In the present case, because of selection of the appropriate treatment and timely cooperation with specialists, it was possible to effectively relieve symptoms and discharge the patient to home care.