The Impact of Adjunct Medical Therapy on Survival after Spine Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Pooled Data Analysis.

Simple Summary: In recent years, targeted therapy has significantly improved the lives of patients suffering from spine metastasis. However, traditional scoring systems used to predict treatment outcomes may not reflect these advancements. This study aims to explore the latest literature on medical therapy options for metastatic spinal tumors, particularly focusing on targeted therapy compared to other treatments. Through a systematic review and data analysis, this research highlights the effectiveness of targeted therapy, especially in lung and breast cancers, in prolonging the median overall survival. By considering the recent advances in medical oncology, these findings emphasize the importance of incorporating personalized treatment approaches into the management of metastatic spine tumors. This study provides valuable insights for clinicians and researchers in optimizing treatment strategies for patients with spinal metastases. Targeted therapy has greatly improved the outlook for patients with spinal metastatic cancers. Scoring systems like the Tokuhashi or Tomita scores are commonly used to predict prognosis and inform surgical decisions, but they are outdated and fail to consider recent advancements. We aimed to investigate the current state of the literature and treatment options pertaining to advancements in targeted therapy compared to other forms of medical management for metastatic spinal tumors. This study represents the first comprehensive systematic review that encompasses the most common primary cancers that metastasize to the spine and evaluates the median overall survival (mOS) across five different medical treatment modalities as well as surgical intervention. Additionally, our study analyzes the tumor receptor status in conjunction with these treatments. A PubMed search was conducted, and according to the PRISMA guidelines, 28 articles out of 1834 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled data analysis highlighted the superior efficacy of targeted therapy, evidenced by a significant improvement in the mOS and lower hazard ratios in patients with lung and breast cancers who received targeted therapy compared to those who did not. Our study provides valuable insights into the recent advancements in the medical management of metastatic spinal tumors. Future indications include incorporating this literature into personalized treatment approaches for metastatic spinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]