Surgical Treatment of Intradural Extramedullary Spinal Metastatic Tumor Caused by Rectal Cancer: A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction: Intradural extramedullary spinal metastases (IESMs) of malignant tumor are rare with no established treatment guidelines. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the most frequent primary lesions; however, few reports exist of spinal intradural extramedullary metastases from colorectal cancer.

Case Report: We present a case of a 69-year-old male, who had a history of treatment for rectal cancer 5 years ago. He subsequently presented with lower back pain, bilateral leg pain, paraplegia, as well as bladder and rectal dysfunction due to IESMs. The tumor was totally resected with a surrounding inner layer of dura mater and arachnoid membrane. The recovery of walking function occurred quickly, where the patient was able to walk independently in 4 weeks after operation. Postoperatively, he remained highly active until his death due to the primary disease 2 years and 2 months.

Conclusions: IESMs are generally associated with a poor prognosis. However, surgical treatment may contribute to improving quality of life despite difficulty in improving the prognosis. Surgical treatment should be considered only in some cases of this disease.