Role of Rehabilitation in Spine Tumors.

ABSTRACT: Primary and metastatic spine tumors can lead to devastating complications, but timely and careful management of these patients can improve outcomes. A multidisciplinary and structured approach is the most effective way to evaluate patients with spine disease and mitigate the risk of complications. The neurologic, oncologic, mechanical and systemic disease framework gives comprehensive guidance to providers regarding appropriate management. Physiatrists play a critical role in these patients' initial evaluation and continued management throughout cancer treatment. Patients with spinal cord involvement have extensive needs, requiring an individualized management approach. Even though patients with nontraumatic spinal cord injury benefit from rehabilitation efforts and have improved outcomes, they are not routinely admitted to inpatient rehabilitation units or referred to outpatient cancer rehabilitation. Ongoing efforts are needed to promote rehabilitation medicine involvement in improving functional outcomes and quality of life for patients with spine involvement.

Post-acute Care Needs and Benefits of Inpatient Rehabilitation Care for the Oncology Patient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This study aims to assess recent literature published on the post-acute care needs of cancer patients, specifically focusing on the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting. RECENT FINDINGS: The neurologic cancer population appears to be the most studied oncologic population in acute inpatient rehabilitation studies within the past 5 years. This finding is consistent with prior findings from the past several decades. Recent trends in inpatient cancer rehabilitation note a population with lower admission functional status and shorter lengths of stay compared to prior studies. Despite these findings, the percentage discharged to the community remains high. With new treatments yielding improved survival, cancer patients may live longer and risk accumulating more functional impairments. Physicians involved in their care must understand post-acute care needs and work in a multidisciplinary group to best determine post-acute disposition. This decision remains very individualized and should consider both oncologic and functional needs.

Patient outcomes following implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery pathway for patients with metastatic spine tumors.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic spine tumor surgery consists of palliative operations performed on frail patients with multiple medical comorbidities. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs involve an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach to improve perioperative outcomes. This study presents clinical outcomes of a metastatic spine tumor ERAS pathway implemented at a tertiary cancer center. METHODS: The metastatic spine tumor ERAS program launched in April 2019, and data from January 2018 to May 2020 were reviewed. Measured outcomes included the following: hospital length of stay (LOS), time to ambulation, urinary catheter duration, time to resumption of diet, intraoperative fluid intake, estimated blood loss (EBL), and intraoperative and postoperative day 0-5 cumulative opioid use (morphine milligram equivalent [MME]). RESULTS: A total of 390 patients were included in the final analysis: 177 consecutive patients undergoing metastatic spine tumor surgery enrolled in the ERAS program and 213 consecutive pre-ERAS patients. Although the mean case durations were similar in the ERAS and pre-ERAS cohorts (265 vs. 274 min; p = .22), the ERAS cohort had decreased EBL (157 vs. 215 ml; p = .003), decreased postoperative day 0-5 cumulative mean opioid use (178 vs. 396 MME; p < .0001), earlier ambulation (mean, 34 vs. 57 h; p = .0001), earlier discontinuation of urinary catheters (mean, 36 vs. 56 h; p < .001), and shorter LOS (5.4 vs. 7.5 days; p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a multidisciplinary ERAS program designed for metastatic spine tumor surgery led to improved clinical quality metrics, including shorter hospitalizations and significant reductions in opioid consumption.

Spine Pain and Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Defining the Contribution of Nonmalignant Etiologies.

PURPOSE: In patients with metastatic prostate cancer (MPC), the contribution of nonmalignant etiologies to morbidity is often overlooked. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the documented specialist assessments of back pain in men with MPC in a joint medical oncology and physiatry clinic at our tertiary cancer care center. Data on cancer disease extent, hormonal status, sites of spread, pain characteristics, physiatric examination findings, imaging, and recommended management were reviewed, extracted, and codified. For those with back pain at a site of known disease, pain etiology was classified as malignant, nonmalignant, or mixed. RESULTS: Ninety-three men were collaboratively assessed for back pain, 24 (26%) with a biochemical recurrence and 69 (74%) with MPC of whom 53 (77%) reported pain in an area of known spinal metastases including 35 (66%) metastatic castration-resistant disease and 34 (64%) a precancer history of back pain. The presenting pain symptoms of the 53 patients were activity-related in 22 (42%), radicular in eight (15%), transitional movement-related in seven (13%), biologic in five (9%), and multifactorial in 11 (21%). Overall, pain was deemed malignant in 20 (38%; five castration-sensitive, 15 metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer), nonmalignant in 12 (23%; four castration-sensitive, eight CRPC), and of mixed etiology in 21 (40%; nine castration-sensitive, 12 CRPC). CONCLUSION: Nonmalignant etiologies contributed significantly to back pain at sites of metastatic spread for 33/53 (62%) patients with MPC assessed by medical oncology and physiatry. We recommend multidisciplinary care for patients with MPC and back pain to address nonmalignant etiologies that contribute to functional compromise.

Metastatic spine oncology: symptom-directed management.

Spinal tumors pose significant treatment challenges for the physicians treating them. Understanding the location of the tumor within the intramedullary, intradural extramedullary, or extradural (epidural) space is not only critical in determining a differential diagnosis but may also provide important information about current and future neurologic deficits. Despite significant advances in the treatment of spinal tumors over the past few decades, these patients may still experience significant symptoms related to the tumor or its treatment, such as pain, weakness, impaired sensation, and bowel and bladder dysfunction. Treatment of spinal tumors should involve a multidisciplinary team of neuro-oncologists, spine surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, physiatrists, and pain specialists to provide comprehensive oncologic management, while optimizing the patient's functional status and quality of life.

Training and Practice Patterns in Cancer Rehabilitation: A Survey of Physiatrists Specializing in Oncology Care.

BACKGROUND: Cancer rehabilitation is an integral part of the continuum of care for survivors. Due to the increasing number of survivors, physiatrists commonly see cancer patients in their general practices. Essential to guiding the field is to understand the current training and practice patterns of cancer rehabilitation physicians. OBJECTIVES: To assess current trends in training and practice for cancer rehabilitation physicians, including the level of burnout among providers in this field. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive survey study. SETTING: Online survey. PARTICIPANTS: American physicians who are affiliated with the Cancer Rehabilitation Physician Consortium (CRPC) of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). The CRPC is a group of cancer rehabilitation providers (both fellowship-trained and not fellowship-trained) with the mission of furthering cancer rehabilitation medicine through education, research, and networking. METHODS: All CRPC physicians were invited to complete a voluntary and anonymous 43-question online survey. The survey was conceived by a group of eight experts interested in providing additional information to the current literature regarding the training and practice in the cancer rehabilitation field. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Training, practice, opioid prescribing, and professional support. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 50 physicians participated (response rate = 74%). Respondents were from various states, the three most common being New York (16%, n = 6), Texas (16%, n = 6), and Massachusetts (11%, n = 4). About 57% (n = 21) of the respondents were employed in an academic medical center and 73% (n = 27) reported their primary departmental affiliation was Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). Approximately 78% (n = 29) credited mentorship early in training for their interest in the field. More than half (54%, n = 20) either strongly agreed or agreed that cancer rehabilitation fellowship training is necessary for graduating physiatrists who plan to treat oncology patients/survivors. National PM&R meetings were the primary source of continuing education for 86% (n = 31). Sixty-five percent (n = 24), strongly agreed or agreed that cancer rehabilitation physiatrists should know how to prescribe opioids, and 35% (n = 13) reported prescribing them when appropriate. About 54% (n = 20) rated their level of burnout as low or very low, and more than half (51%, n = 19) believed their burnout level was lower than physiatrists treating other rehabilitation populations. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer rehabilitation is a growing subspecialty in PM&R, and most physiatrists in general practice will treat many survivors-often for neurologic or musculoskeletal impairments related to cancer or its treatment. Cancer rehabilitation physicians perceive that they have relatively low levels of burnout, and early mentorship and fellowship training is beneficial. Professional conferences and mentorship are a primary source for continuing education. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Managing bowel and bladder impairments in sacral chordoma patients: a case-based approach.

INTRODUCTION: Chordomas are primary bone tumors that occur in the axial spine and most commonly in the sacrum. Because of their location, chordomas can affect bowel and bladder continence resulting in either an upper or a lower motor neuron functional pattern. CASE PRESENTATION: We present two cases describing chordoma's impact on bowel and bladder function and the management plan used for improvement. DISCUSSION: The accurate identification of an upper or lower motor neuron pattern in the setting of chordoma aims to significantly improve management of bowel and bladder impairment.

Malignant Spinal Cord Compression: Adapting Conventional Rehabilitation Approaches.

Spinal tumors are classically grouped into 3 categories: extradural, intradural extramedullary, and intradural intramedullary. Spinal tumors may cause spinal cord compression and vascular compromise resulting in pain or neurologic compromise. They may also alter the architecture of the spinal column, resulting in spinal instability. Oncologic management of spinal tumors varies according to the stability of the spine, neurologic status, and presence of pain. Treatment options include surgical intervention, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal manipulation. When combined with this management, rehabilitation can serve to relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, enhance functional independence, and prevent further complications in patients.

Segmental zoster paresis of the left upper limb in a pediatric patient.

Segmental zoster paresis of the left upper limb in a pediatric patient.Segmental zoster paresis is a rare complication of herpes zoster characterized by focal, asymmetrical motor weakness in the myotome that corresponds to the dermatome of the rash. Segmental zoster paresis typically develops within 2-3 wks of cutaneous zoster and predominantly affects the middle-aged and elderly populations. Motor complications rarely develop in children and young adults, but when they do develop, involvement is usually confined to cranial and truncal muscles, with sparing of the limb musculature. A 10-yr-old boy with Fanconi's anemia developed left upper limb weakness because of involvement of C5 motor roots as a complication of herpes zoster. Recognizing motor zoster as a cause of acute motor weakness in a pediatric patient is important in avoiding unnecessary interventions and optimizing treatment.