Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41822117›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in surgery2026

Case Report: Management of cervical intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from NSCLC with a literature review.

Hua Liu, Long Chen, Feng Li, Mingjiu Zhang, Tao Zhang, Songkai Li

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hua Liu *Department of Spinal Surgery, The 940th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Long Chen *Department of Spinal Surgery, The 940th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Feng Li *Department of Orthopedics, The 943rd Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Wuwei, Gansu, China.
Mingjiu Zhang *Department of Spinal Surgery, The 940th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Tao Zhang *Department of Spinal Surgery, The 940th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Songkai LiDepartment of Spinal Surgery, The 940th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Intramedullary spinal cord metastases (ISCM) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are rare and carry a grave prognosis. Cervical segment involvement is exceptionally uncommon, and its distinct clinicopathological profile is not well characterized. Methods: We present the case of a 72-year-old male with a history of NSCLC who developed acute quadriparesis and sphincter dysfunction. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a C7 intramedullary mass. The patient underwent C6-T1 laminectomy with microsurgical gross-total resection. Histopathology confirmed metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. We supplemented this case with a systematic literature review of NSCLC-derived ISCM cases to summarize demographic, clinical, and therapeutic outcomes. Results: Histopathology confirmed metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. Postoperatively, the patient's neurological function improved. Although local recurrence was detected at 11 months and treated with salvage radiotherapy, the patient nevertheless maintained ambulatory function and was alive at the 18-month follow-up. Our literature review of 68 cases with complete data identified a male predominance (4.2:1 ratio) and a mean age of 58.1 years. The cervical spine was the most commonly involved segment (47.1%). Analysis of treatment modalities revealed that multimodal therapy, particularly the combination of surgery and chemotherapy (potentially incorporating modern agents such as immune checkpoint inhibitors), was associated with improved survival, with a mean overall survival of 15.0 months in this subgroup. This paradigm, centered around maximal safe resection, successfully achieved long-term functional preservation and survival. Conclusion: Cervical ISCM from NSCLC represents one of the most challenging complications in spinal oncology. This case, supported by our literature review, provides a surgical-led, multimodal management template for spine surgeons, demonstrating that aggressive yet strategic intervention can achieve favorable long-term neurological and survival outcomes.

Indexed as

case reportcervical spineintramedullary spinal cord metastases (ISCM)literature reviewmultimodal therapynon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)survival

Identifiers

PMID41822117
PMCPMC12975956

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.