Epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) analysis of factors determining functional prognosis

The authors prospectively analyzed treatment results in 60 patients with epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) who had been treated with irradiation. The most common primary tumors were lung cancer (17) and prostate cancer (11). Nineteen (32%) of the patients had no history of cancer at the time of admission. The degree of ESCC was partial in 28%, almost complete in 13%, and complete in 59%. The degree of ESCC correlated well with pretreatment motor function and sphincter function. A positive correlation was found between pretreatment motor level and posttreatment functional status: of the patients with pretreatment motor level 1, none had improved functional status after treatment; however, 46.2% of the patients with pretreatment motor level 3 had improved functional status after treatment