Results of Surgical Treatment for Spinal Metastatic Disease

Christian Carrwik

Spinal metastases are a common finding in the late stage of haematogenously spreading malignancies. Unfortunately curative tumour resection is rarely an option, and treatment often palliative. Lately the spinal tumour surgeons in Kanazawa developed a technique where resected vertebral metastases are frozen in liquid nitrogen and used both as bone graft and cancer vaccine. The tumour cell fragments act as antigens that can recruit a immune response against pathological (tumour) cells. First case reports are very promising, even with tumour disease control. Murakami et al. found a systemic inflammatory activation after vaccination with frozen metastases, supporting the treatment rationale. Uppsala University Hospital treats most spinal metastases in Sweden and has a considerable caseload in this regard.