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Metastatic Disease of the Lumbar Spine

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Metastatic Spine Disease

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Abstract

The number of cases of lumbar spine metastatic disease will continue to increase with the improvement of cancer care in the United States. Accordingly, multidisciplinary groups including spine surgeons are required to provide care with the goal of improving each patient’s quality of life. With its unique anatomy, the lumbar spine requires a different approach to treatment compared to other areas of the spine. These treatments range from nonoperative to operative treatments and can be utilized with the application of validated treatment algorithms. Nonoperative treatment includes the modalities of corticosteroids and chemotherapy but often employs the use of radiotherapy. Operative treatment can address neural compression, instability, and pain among other needs. This chapter seeks to address the epidemiology of lumbar metastatic disease, review the anatomy of the lumbar spine, cover the workup including imaging utilized, and discuss treatment strategy including both nonoperative and operative treatment of metastatic lumbar disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Scott E. Dart MD & Joshua C. Patt MD, MPH

  2. Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Patrick Moody MD & Joshua C. Patt MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Scott E. Dart MD
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  2. Patrick Moody MD
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  3. Joshua C. Patt MD, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joshua C. Patt MD, MPH .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA

    Rex A. W. Marco

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Dart, S.E., Moody, P., Patt, J.C. (2018). Metastatic Disease of the Lumbar Spine. In: Marco, R. (eds) Metastatic Spine Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76252-4_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76252-4_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76251-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76252-4

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