CASE 11: Breast cancer spinal metastasis

• 50-year-old female patient
• A patient who had been treated for and was under follow-up for breast cancer presented with complaints of back pain and hunching that had been present for approximately 3 months and had worsened in the last month. The patient was having difficulty performing daily activities.
• The patient's scans revealed metastasis only in the thoracic vertebra. • The patient underwent a successful corpectomy (removal of both tumorous vertebrae in one piece) to correct a compression fracture and kyphosis deformity caused by thoracic spine metastasis. The resulting gap was reconstructed with a titanium cage, and the upper and lower vertebrae were strengthened with screws (posterior instrumentation).
• The patient, whose symptoms subsided, was discharged without complications and was referred to radiation oncology for radiotherapy in the second week after his surgery.

Before the surgery: X-rays and CT scans show a compression fracture and kyphosis deformity.

During the Surgery: The video shows the spinal cord being freed by laminectomy, followed by the removal of the tumorous bone in one piece and subsequent screw fixation.

Post-Surgery: The X-ray shows the placement of a titanium cage in place of the fractured and tumorous vertebrae, correction of kyphosis deformity, and reinforcement of the upper and lower vertebrae with screws.