Intraspinal metastatic disease in childhood cancer

This paper describes the clinical manifestations and diagnostic studies in 26 children with intraspinal metastases of solid malignant neoplasms. The site of the metastatic lesion was verified in all cases by lumbar and/or cisternal myelography. Therapy consisted of Cobalt50 irradiation in 20 patients, of whom 11 (55%) manifested neurologic improvement. Recovery of ambulatory function was most favorable in lesiosn that involved the conus medullaris and cauda equina and spared the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. Early recognition and initiation of treatment before severe neurologic dysfunction developed was necessary to prevent severe, permanent disability.