Myelopathies in the cancer patient: incidence, presentation, diagnosis and management. Part 1.

Neurological involvement with systemic cancer is frequently a cause of major disability. Second to brain metastases, metastasis to the spinal cord and its nerve roots constitutes the most common neurological complication of cancer with an estimated 5 to 10% of patients developing spinal cord involvement that leads to serious impairment of function. With advances in cancer therapy and consequent extension of survival, the overall incidence of neurological complications of cancer is on the rise. Spinal cord dysfunction, while usually nonfatal, leaves the patient with a major neurological disability. The author discusses epidural metastases, highlighting the importance of early recognition and management.