Greeting

The spine is the most frequent site of skeletal metastases. Among all spinal malignancies, metastatic disease is most frequent and indicative of disseminating tumor disease. Depending on primary tumor entity, estimated survival time, general health status of the patient, presence of spinal instability and neurological deficits an oncological useful and patient-specific therapeutic intervention should be performed. The dogma that surgery yields no better results than radiation therapy is becoming reversed by the establishment of new surgical techniques. For differential indication of the multiple surgical treatment modalities reaching from minimalinvasive techniques to radical resections prognostic scores are available to assist in individual decision making. Resulting quality of life following surgery depends on efficient decompression of the spinal cord and restoration of spinal stability. To achieve these ultimate goals there are different anterior and posterior approaches, instrumentations and vertebral body replacement implants
available. A multidisciplinary approach in patient selection, decision making and management is an essential precondition for prevention of complications and acceptable quality of life.

After the great success of the 1st Charité Spine Tumor Days 2009 we have the great pleasure to announce the 2nd Charité Spine Tumor Days held at the 20th – 21st of May 2011 with the topic:

Multiple and solitary metastatic disease of the thoracolumbar spine – modes of resection and types of reconstruction

The scope of this international two day symposium are current diagnostic approaches and treatment algorithms for metastatic lesions of the thoracolumbar spine.

Looking forward meeting you in Berlin.

Sincerely