is an option in cases where the lesions are small and the patient is asymptomatic. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be administered alone or in conjunction with surgery. The choice of chemotherapy or radiotherapy is a multidisciplinary process and depends on the histological grade, type of tumor, and amount of surgical resection achieved. In cases where radiotherapy is chosen, radiation is usually delivered to the involved segment in the spinal cord and the uninvolved segment above and below the involved segment. The combination of minimally invasive surgery and radiation or chemotherapy is a new technique for treating spinal tumors. This treatment can be tailored to the particular tumor of the spine, either metastatic or primary. Some suggest that direct decompressive surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy, provide better outcomes than treatment with radiotherapy alone for patients with spinal cord compression due to metastatic cancer. References External links Nervous system neoplasia