Prognostic factors in patients with metastatic spine tumors derived from lung cancer-a novel scoring system for predicting life expectancy.

BACKGROUND

Recently, molecule-targeting and bone-modifying agents have improved the treatment outcomes of lung cancer-derived metastatic spine tumors. Therefore, the prognostic factors for such tumors were examined, and novel scoring systems for predicting the life expectancy of patients with such tumors were proposed.

METHODS

In 207 patients with lung cancer-derived metastatic spine tumors (surgery 49; conservative therapy 158), we retrospectively examined the factors that influenced the post-treatment survival time (age, sex, the affected site, pathology, general condition, the number of extraspinal bone metastases, the number of spinal metastases, the presence/absence of major internal organ metastasis, paralysis state, the total Tokuhashi score, the serum alkaline phosphatase level, the serum carcinoembryonic antigen level, molecule-targeting drug treatment, and bone-modifying agent treatment). Based on the results, we devised novel scoring systems for predicting the prognosis of such patients.

RESULTS

Univariate analyses showed that the pathology of the primary lung tumor, the patient's general condition and paralysis state, and the presence/absence of molecule-targeting drug treatment significantly influenced survival. We performed a Cox regression analysis of these four factors and developed criteria for a novel scoring system based on the patient's general condition and paralysis state, which exhibited significance in the regression analysis. A retrospective review indicated that the consistency rate between predicted life expectancy and actual survival was 67.3%. When criteria based on the four factors that exhibited significance in the univariate analyses were adopted, the consistency rate was 76.2%.

CONCLUSION

The patient's general condition and paralysis state, the pathology of the primary lung tumor, and molecule-targeting drug treatment influenced survival among patients with lung cancer-derived metastatic spine tumors. Novel scoring systems based on these four factors were proposed.