Clinical Insight into Spinal Drop Metastasis: A Systematic Review

Introduction
Primary intracranial tumors (PITs) rarely metastasize to the spine, and as such, the condition is poorly understood. This study aimed to provide an overview of the clinical manifestations, therapeutic trends, and prognosis of spinal drop metastases (SDM) resulting from PIT.

Objective
To enhance comprehension of SDM pathology, direct patient care, and encourage research participation.

Methods
PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched for abstracts of individuals with PIT and SDM, according to the PRISMA guidelines. Kaplan– Meier and log-rank analyses of survival curves were performed for specific subgroups.

Results
Of 803 abstracts, 56 articles were selected, yielding 63 subjects. The mean age was 42.95 years, and 60.31% of the participants were male. The most prevalent symptoms were cervicalgia/lumbago (74.13%) and radiculopathy (63.79%). The estimated median survival following diagnosis of PIT was 10 months, and the mean survival was 32.68 months. The predicted median survival after SDM was 3 months, and the mean survival was 3.8 months.

Conclusion
This study defines PIT-induced spinal metastases and calls for further research in this area. These data also provide patients and physicians with literature-based survival predictions.

Keywords: spinal metastases, drop metastases, oncology

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