Spinal cord metastasis in small cell carcinoma of the lung

Among 50 patients with small cell bronchogenic carcinoma who were placed on a protocol of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy, seven patients developed recurrence in the spinal cord. Five cases terminated in paraplegia and death. One patient with pontine recurrence recovered with local radiation therapy. One patient, diagnosed early, responded to local radiation therapy and is ambulatory. Methods of diagnosis were myelogram, computerized axial tomography, cerebro spinal fluid, chemistry and cytologies. The poor prognosis and the difficulty of diagnosis suggest that we should evaluate prophylactic therapy of the entire cranio-spinal axis.