CASE 7: Breast cancer spinal metastasis

• 54-year-old woman
• A patient who has received treatment for and is under follow-up for breast cancer.
• The patient presented to us with complaints of progressive back pain, hunching, and numbness and weakness in the legs. The patient had difficulty performing daily tasks.
• The patient underwent a successful procedure involving removal of the fractured and tumorous bone (corpectomy) and reconstruction of the resulting cavity with a titanium cage and reinforcement with screws (posterior instrumentation) due to a fracture, kyphosis deformity, and spinal cord compression caused by breast cancer metastasis in the upper thoracic spine.
• The patient, whose postoperative complaints subsided, confidently returned to daily activities. • Two weeks later, the patient's stitches were removed, and they were referred to radiation oncology for radiotherapy.

Before the surgery: X-rays and CT scans show fractures and kyphosis deformity, while MRI also reveals spinal cord compression.

During Surgery: The image shows the removal of the fractured and cancerous bone, freeing the spinal cord and nerve roots.

Post-Surgery: The X-ray shows the placement of a titanium cage and screws in place of the removed vertebra (posterior instrumentation), and the CT scan shows the relief of spinal cord compression (laminectomy).