How common are spinal fractures and why do they happen?
Dr. Wong: They can be extremely common. The tumor will spread into the bony elements of the spine, usually what’s called the pedicles or the vertebral body, and as the tumor consumes the bone, there’s weakening. As a result of that, there is a secondary fracture known as a pathologic fracture. This fracture can cause a considerable amount of pain for patients. How painful can it be? Dr. Wong: The pain can be extremely intense, and in fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, it’s not uncommon for the patient to say the pain is a nine or a 10 out of 10. What kinds of things can’t the patients do if they have these tumors or fractures? Dr. Wong: Well, they may not even be able to get out of bed, let alone conduct normal activities of daily living. What has traditionally been used to treat them? Dr. Wong: To treat pathological compression fracture or fractures of the spine, patients have been placed on heavy narcotics such as morphine, which often has problems ranging from constipation to mood changes
