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Breast cancer with osseous metastasis and herniated lumbar disc A cautionary tale
Author(s) -
Carr Brian I.,
Goodkin Robert
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19851001)56:7<1701::aid-cncr2820560739>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - medicine , weakness , surgery , back pain , low back pain , breast cancer , lesion , vertebra , lumbar , metastasis , radiology , lumbar vertebrae , cancer , alternative medicine , pathology
A 39‐year‐old white woman with breast cancer, metastatic to her skeleton, developed low back and left lower extremity pain and lower extremity weakness. A bone scan evidenced increased radioisotope activity in her lumbar spine and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed a lesion of the L4 vertebra. Because of myelographic findings of a extradural defect at the L4–5 disc space and the possibility of a herniated disc causing the patient's pain and neurologic deficit in her lower extremities, the patient underwent surgery and a large herniated L4–5 disc was removed. As a consequence, the patient experienced relief of the lower extremity pain and return of strength in her lower extremities. She died a considerable time later from refractory hypercalcemia. Cancer 56: 1701‐1703, 1985.