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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Calibrated Forceps Model of Spinal Cord Compression Injury
Published on: April 24, 2015
A new and simple scoring system to predict overall survival after irradiation for metastatic spinal cord compression
P Nenclares1, S Guardado2, L Asiáin2
1Head and Neck Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Trust Foundation, 203 Fulham Rd, Chelsea, London, SW3 6JJ, UK. Pablo.Nenclares@rmh.nhs.uk.
Purpose:
To develop a model that predicts survival in patients irradiated for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC), hence assisting in the decision between a short and a long-course radiotherapy (RT) regimen.
Methods:
138 patients diagnosed with MSCC and treated with RT alone were included. Based on a multivariate analysis, a scoring system was developed. It included four prognostic variables: age, number of vertebrae, ECOG and histology. Total scores ranged between 14 and 24 points and patients were divided into two groups.
Results:
The 6-month survival rate was 22% for patients with a score of 14-18 points; and 69% for patients with a score of 19-24 points (P < 0.001). The system exhibits a high specificity and positive predictive value and an appropriate discriminative ability.
Conclusions:
Patients with scores between 19 and 24 points were found to survive longer, thus a long-course RT appears to be more appropriate.
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