The Effect of Introducing the Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score in Routine Clinical Practice for Patients With Spinal Metastases

摘要

Background.Stable spinal metastases are effectively treated with radiotherapy, whereas unstable spinal metastases often need surgical fixation followed by radiotherapy for local control. The Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) was developed as a tool to assess spinal neoplastic related instability with the goal of helping to guide referrals among oncology specialists. We compare the average degree of spinal instability between patients with spinal metastases referred for surgery or for radiotherapy and evaluate whether this difference changed after introduction of the SINS in clinical practice.