Tokuhashi score is predictive of survival in a cohort of patients undergoing surgery for renal cell carcinoma spinal metastases

Surgical Management of the Metastatic Spine Disease: A Review of the Literature and Proposed Algorithm

STUDY DESIGN

Narrative Review. The spine remains the most common site for bony metastasis. It is estimated that up to 70% of cancer patients harbor secondary spinal disease. And up to 10% will develop a clinically significant lesion. The last two decades have seen a substantial leap forward in the advancements of the management of spinal metastases. What once was a death sentence is now a manageable, even potentially treatable condition. With marked advancements in the surgical treatment and post-operative radiotherapy, a standardized approach to stratify and manage these patients is both prudent and now feasible.

OBJECTIVES

This article looks to examine the best available evidence in the stratification and surgical management of patients with spinal metastases. So the aim of this review is to offer a standardized approach for surgical management and surgical planning of patients with spinal metastases.

The performance of frailty in predictive modeling of short-term outcomes in the surgical management of metastatic tumors to the spine

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

The concept of frailty has become increasingly recognized, and while patients with cancer are at increased risk for frailty, its influence on perioperative outcomes in metastatic spine tumors is uncertain. Furthermore, the impact of frailty can be confounded by comorbidities or metastatic disease burden.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of frailty and comorbidities on adverse outcomes in the surgical management of metastatic spine disease.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

Retrospective analysis of a nationwide database to include patients undergoing spinal fusion for metastatic spine disease.

PATIENT SAMPLE

A total of 1,974 frail patients who received spinal fusion with spinal metastasis, and 1,975 propensity score matched non-frail patients.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Outcomes analyzed included mortality, complications, length of stay (LOS), nonroutine discharges and costs.

METHODS

A validated binary frailty index (Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups) was used to identify frail and non-frail groups, and propensity score-matched analysis (including demographics, comorbidities, surgical and tumor characteristics) was performed. Sub-group analysis of levels involved was performed for cervical, thoracic, lumbar and junctional spine. Multivariable-regression techniques were used to develop predictive models for outcomes using frailty and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI).

RESULTS

7,772 patients underwent spinal fusion with spinal metastasis, of which 1,974 (25.4%) patients were identified as frail. Following propensity score matching for frail (n=1,974) and not-frail (n=1,975) groups, frailty demonstrated significantly greater medical complications (OR=1.58; 95% CI 1.33-1.86), surgical complications (OR=1.46; 95% CI 1.15-1.85), LOS (OR=2.65; 95% CI 2.09-3.37), nonroutine discharges (OR=1.79; 95% CI 1.46-2.20) and costs (OR=1.68; 95% CI 1.32-2.14). Differences in mortality were only observed in subgroup analysis and were greater in frail junctional and lumbar spine subgroups. Models using ECI alone (AUC=0.636-0.788) demonstrated greater predictive ability compared to those using frailty alone (AUC=0.633-0.752). However, frailty combined with ECI improved the prediction of increased LOS (AUC=0.811), cost (AUC=0.768), medical complications (AUC=0.723) and nonroutine discharges (AUC=0.718). Predictive modeling of frailty in subgroups demonstrated the greatest performance for mortality (AUC=0.750) in the lumbar spine, otherwise performed similarly for LOS, costs, complications, and discharge across subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

A high prevalence of frailty existed in the current patient cohort. Frailty contributed to worse short-term adverse outcomes and could be more influential in the lumbar and junctional spine due to higher risk of deconditioning in the postoperative period. Predictions for short term outcomes can be improved by adding frailty to comorbidity indices, suggesting a more comprehensive preoperative risk stratification should include frailty.

Presentation of spinal cord and column tumors

Metastatic spine disease occurs in more than 10% of all cancer patients. Advances in systemic treatment for cancer has led to improved overall survival for many types of cancer, which has increased the overall incidence of spinal metastases. The most common presenting complaint of patients with spinal metastases is pain. Pain originating from spinal metastases can be oncological, mechanical, and/or neurological in nature. Early recognition of these symptoms is helpful to guide treatment and accurately gauge patient prognosis. Unfortunately, the prevalence of degenerative back pain in the general population can complicate early clinical recognition of patients with metastatic spine disease. Therefore, back pain in any patient with a history of malignancy should prompt clinicians to perform an expedited workup for metastatic disease of the spine. Diagnostic imaging and laboratory studies are part of the initial work up. Obtaining pathology via biopsy to establish tumor histology is essential to determine the appropriate treatment.

Outcomes of patients with spinal metastases from renal cell carcinoma treated with conventionally-fractionated external beam radiation therapy

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been traditionally thought to be radioresistant. This retrospective cohort study aims to assess the outcomes of patients with spinal metastases from RCC treated with conventionally-fractionated external beam radiation therapy (cEBRT) in our institution.Patients diagnosed with histologically or radiologically-proven RCC who received palliative cEBRT to spinal metastases, using 3-dimensional conformal technique between 2009 and 2018 were reviewed. Local progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and common terminology criteria for adverse events version 4.0-graded toxicity were assessed. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to evaluate for predictors associated with survivals.Thirty-five eligible patients with forty spinal segments were identified, with a median follow-up of 7 months (range, 0-47). The median equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) was 32.5 Gy 10 (range, 12-39). Thirty-seven percent of patients underwent surgical intervention. At the time of last follow-up, all but 1 patient had died. Seven patients developed local progression, with the median time to local progression of 10.2 months. The median local PFS and OS were 3.3 and 4.8 months. There was no grade 3 or higher toxicity. A higher radiation dose (equivalent dose to 2 Gy fraction <32.5 Gy 10 vs ≥32.5Gy 10) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-3.18; P-value (P) = .68) and spinal surgery (HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 0.53-10.29; P = .26) were not significantly associated with local PFS on univariable analysis. Multivariable analysis showed that higher Tokuhashi score (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19-0.88; P = .02), lower number of spinal segments irradiated (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01-1.37; P = .04) and use of targeted therapy (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.18-0.96; P = .04) were independent predictors for improved OS.For an unselected group of patients with RCC, there is no significant association between higher radiation dose and improved local control following cEBRT. This may be due to their short survivals. With the use of more effective systemic therapy, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, survival will likely be prolonged. A tailored-approach is needed to identify patients with good prognosis who may still benefit from aggressive local treatments.

Prognostic Significance of Preoperative Inflammatory Biomarkers and Traditional Clinical Parameters in Patients with Spinal Metastasis from Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study of 95 Patients in a Single Center

Purpose

The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify preoperative inflammatory biomarkers and clinical parameters and evaluate their prognostic significance in patients with spinal metastasis from clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC).

Patients and methods

Correlations of overall survival (OS) with traditional clinical parameters and inflammatory indicators including the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR), albumin–globulin ratio (AGR), and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CRP/Alb ratio) were analyzed in 95 patients with spinal metastasis from CCRCA using the Kaplan–Meier method to identify potential prognostic factors. Factors with P values ≤ 0.1 were subjected to multivariate analysis by Cox regression analysis. P values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results

The 95 patients included in this study were followed up by a mean of 48.8 months (median 51 months; range 6–132 months), during which 21 patients died, with a death rate of 22.1%. The statistical results indicated that patients with total piecemeal spondylectomy (TPS), targeted therapy, NLR < 3.8 and PLR < 206.9 had a significantly longer OS rate.

Conclusion

TPS and targeted therapy could significantly prolong the OS of patients with spinal metastasis from CCRCC. In addition, NLR and PLR are robust and convenient prognostic indicators that have a discriminatory ability superior to other inflammatory biomarkers.

Analysis of Four Scoring Systems for the Prognosis of Patients with Metastasis of the Vertebral Column

OBJECTIVE

Metastatic spinal diseases are common health problems and there is no consensus on the appropriate treatment of metastases in several conditions. Using clinical measures (e.g., survival time and functional status), prognosis prediction systems advise on the appropriate interventions. The aim of this article is to assess and compare 4 widely used scoring systems (revised Tokuhashi, Tomita, van der Linden, and modified Bauer scores) on a single-center cohort.

METHODS

A retrospective study was designed of 329 patients who were subjected to surgery because of metastatic spinal diseases. Subpopulations according to the classifications of the 4 scoring systems were identified. The overall survival was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier formula. The difference between the survival curves of subpopulations was analyzed with log-rank tests. The consistency rates for the 4 scoring systems are calculated as well.

RESULTS

The follow-up period was 8 years. The median survival time was 222 days. The overall survival of prognostic categories in 3 scoring systems was significantly different from each other, but we found no differences between the categories of the van der Linden system. In this cohort, the revised Tokuhashi system gave the best approximation for survival, with a mean predictive capability 60.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

The evaluation of 4 standard scoring systems showed that 3 were self-consistent, although none of systems was able to predict the survival in our cohort. Based on the predictive capability, the revised Tokuhashi system may provide the best predictions with careful examination of individual cases.

Readmissions After Surgical Resection of Metastatic Tumors of the Spine at a Single Institution

BACKGROUND

Surgical management of spinal metastasis is complex and can be associated with significant postoperative morbidity. Analyzing readmission rates may serve as a proxy for postoperative morbidity and functional decline, allowing patients and physicians to make informed decisions about treatment.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was performed of patients with metastatic spine disease surgically treated at a tertiary center from 2003 to 2012. Patients with primary lung cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, bone marrow cancer, prostate cancer, gynecologic cancer, and melanoma were analyzed. Primary and secondary outcome variables were readmissions and overall survival. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent factors associated with readmissions.

RESULTS

There were 159 patients analyzed. Lung, breast, and kidney represented the most common primary cancer sites, accounting for 22%, 19.5%, and 16.4%. Of patients, 56.6% had at least 1 readmission, with a 30-day readmission rate of 13.8% and 1-year readmission rate of 47.2%. Readmissions were for surgical complications (26.7%), oncologic disease progression (33.7%), and other medical reasons (36.7%). Patients with colorectal cancer had the highest number of readmissions. Patients with melanoma had more readmissions over the course of their limited postoperative survival. Overall mortality was 59.1%, with a median survival of 15.1 months. Multivariate analysis revealed age >60 years and previous radiation of the spine increased the likelihood of readmission.

CONCLUSIONS

Readmissions provide an important window into understanding postoperative morbidity among patients with metastatic disease of the spine. This study offers an important starting point for understanding the nuances of patients' postoperative outcomes.