The research aimed to study the rapid improvement in pain after the surgery for spinal metastases. Metastatic spinal cancer can cause several complications like spinal instability, pain, and paralysis. The doctors and researchers We investigated whether surgery provides sustained improvement in the quality of life and pain relief for patients with symptomatic spinal metastases by analyzing the most extensive reported surgical series of patients with epidural spinal metastases. The study method was to take 922 consecutive patients with spinal metastases who underwent surgery from the Global Spine Tumour Study Group database. Pre- and post-operative EQ-5D quality of life, visual analog pain score, Karnofsky physical functioning score, complication rates, and survival were recorded.
As a result of the study, Quality of life (EQ-5D), VAS pain score, and Karnofsky physical functioning score improved rapidly after surgery. These improvements were sustained in those who survived up to 2 years after surgery. In specialized spine centers, the technical intra-operative complication rate of surgery was low. However, almost a quarter of patients experienced postoperative systemic adverse events. Hence, Surgical treatment for spinal metastases produces rapid pain relief, maintains ambulation, and improves the sound quality of life.
Ref: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/02688697.2015.1133802
