Intramedullary spinal cord metastases (ISCM) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC): clinical patterns, diagnosis and therapeutic considerations

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM) is an unusual occurrence in systemic cancer. occurring in as few as 2% of autopsy cases and also represents 8.5% of all cases of central nervous system metastases. Although ISCM from small cell lung carcinoma is well documented, ISCM from non-small cell lung carcinoma of the lung is rarely diagnosed prior to thr patients' demise and very little data regarding outcomes exists in such patients. We present the results of our observational case series to better delineate the presentation and clinical course of this uncommon entity which shows that ISCM may present atypically and should be considered in any patient with a previous history of bronchogenic carcinoma and neurologic symptoms, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.