The spinal cord, a large bundle of nerves that connects the brain to the body, is located within the canal that runs inside your backbone. Symptoms usually include worsening back pain, along with numbness or weakness in a particular part of the body. A change in bowel or bladder activity occurs when there is serious pressure on the spinal cord. Usually these symptoms mean metastasis that has reached the backbone is squeezing the spinal cord. Occasionally, surgery to reduce pressure around the spinal cord is necessary.
Brain metastases causing symptoms also require immediate treatment.
Also possible is a change of behavior, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Steroids are started first. Whole brain irradiation is next. Surgery may be considered for a single area of cancer that shows up a long time after initial diagnosis. If there are several areas of cancer in the brain or in other parts of the body, the value of surgery is limited.