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Vertebrectomy and corpectomy when a tumour damages the spine | CION Cancer Clinics
A vertebrectomy or corpectomy removes a spine bone, or its front block, that a tumour has damaged. The gap is filled with a support and the spine is held with screws and rods. It is done to take pressure off the spinal cord and steady a collapsing spine. This page explains how it is done, the risks, and who it does not suit. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is a vertebrectomy or corpectomy?
- From which side will the surgeon reach the bone?
- What happens from admission to going home?
- How is it different from a simpler decompression?
- What are the risks, and what can this page not tell you?
- What do families believe about this operation, and what is true?
- What do the words on the consent form mean?
- Common questions about vertebrectomy and corpectomy
The short answer
What is a vertebrectomy or corpectomy?
A vertebrectomy removes part or all of a spine bone that a tumour has damaged. A corpectomy removes the front, load-bearing block of that bone, called the vertebral body. In both, the gap is filled with a support and the spine is held steady with screws and rods.
Why the bone has to come out
Cancer can eat away the vertebral body until it collapses, or push tumour backwards against the spinal cord. When the pressure comes from the front, simply opening the back of the spine may not reach it. Taking out the damaged block lets the surgeon remove the tumour pressing on the cord and rebuild the column that carries your weight.
Two names, nearly the same operation
Surgeons use the words loosely. Your consent form may say either. What matters more is how much bone is being removed, from which side, and what will replace it. Ask the surgeon to show you on the scan.
Who it does not suit
This is a big operation. It is usually not offered when the body is too weak to recover from it, when cancer has spread widely through many spine levels, or when radiotherapy alone is likely to do the job.
This page explains the operation. It cannot tell you whether it is right for you. That decision belongs to your treating team.How it is done
From which side will the surgeon reach the bone?
The route depends on where the tumour sits, which level of the spine is involved and how fit you are.
From the back
A cut down the middle of the back. The surgeon works around the spinal cord to remove the bone and tumour, then places the support and the screws through the same opening.
Often chosen for
- The chest and lower back levels
- People who could not cope with a chest opening
From the front
For the neck, a cut at the front of the neck. For the chest or tummy levels, a cut through the side of the chest or abdomen, sometimes with a chest surgeon helping.
A chest drain afterwards is common with this route.Front and back together
Some tumours need both. It may be done in one long sitting or split across two operations a few days apart.
What fills the gap
An expandable metal or carbon cage, a bone graft, or bone cement shaped around pins. The choice depends on how long the repair needs to last and whether radiotherapy follows.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What happens from admission to going home?
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Scans and planning
An MRI of the whole spine and often a CT. Your case is discussed by surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists together before a date is set.
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Fitness checks
Blood tests, a heart tracing and a meeting with the anaesthetist. Bring a list of every medicine, especially blood thinners. Do not stop any on your own. The team will tell you what to do.
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The operation
You are fully asleep. It usually takes several hours. Nerve monitoring may be used to warn the surgeon if the cord is under strain.
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The first days
Many people spend the first night in intensive care or a high-dependency bed. Expect a drain, a urine catheter and pain relief through a drip or a button you press.
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Getting up
A physiotherapist helps you sit and stand as early as it is safe, often with a brace. Moving early lowers the chance of chest infections and clots.
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Going home and radiotherapy
Most people go home once they can move safely and pain is controlled. Radiotherapy usually follows once the wound has healed.
Side by side
How is it different from a simpler decompression?
Decompression from the back
Vertebrectomy or corpectomy
Removes bone and tumour behind the cord
Also removes the damaged front block of the bone
Suits pressure coming mainly from behind
Suits pressure from the front, or a collapsed bone
A shorter operation, usually
Longer, with more blood loss
Screws and rods may or may not be needed
A support in the gap and screws are always needed
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Being straight with you
What are the risks, and what can this page not tell you?
Every spine operation carries risk, and this one more than most, because it is long and works close to the cord. Your surgeon should talk you through the risks that apply to your own body, at your own level of the spine.
The risks families are usually told about
Bleeding, sometimes enough to need a transfusion. Wound infection or slow healing, which is more likely if radiotherapy was given to the same area before. Clots in the legs or lungs. Chest infection. Leakage of the fluid around the cord. New or worse weakness, numbness or bladder trouble. With the front approach, problems with the lung, the voice or swallowing, depending on the level. Over time, a screw or cage can loosen and need more surgery.
What the surgeon weighs
How the spine is behaving now, how the cancer is expected to respond to other treatment, how you are managing day to day, and what you want the operation to achieve. Ask what happens if you do not have it, and what the other options are.
What this page cannot tell you
How long your recovery will take, or whether walking will improve. Those depend on the tumour and your general health.
Commonly believed
What do families believe about this operation, and what is true?
"Removing the bone gets rid of the cancer."
When cancer has spread to the spine from somewhere else, the operation is done to protect the cord, ease pain and steady the spine. Treatment for the cancer itself usually continues afterwards, with radiotherapy, medicines or both.
"The metal means he can never have a scan again."
Most spine implants are safe in an MRI, although they can blur the picture close by. Carbon implants blur it less. Keep the implant card you are given and show it before any scan.
"After this, he will be bedridden for months."
The aim is the opposite. The spine is fixed so that you can sit up and start moving within days. How far you get depends on how weak you were before, not only on the operation.
"We should wait and see if the weakness settles."
New weakness, numbness or loss of bladder control with a known spine tumour needs same-day care. Nerves under pressure for longer are less likely to recover.
On your form
What do the words on the consent form mean?
- Vertebral body
- The thick, round front part of each spine bone. It carries most of your weight.
- Metastatic
- Cancer that started somewhere else, such as the breast, lung, kidney or prostate, and has spread to the spine.
- Cage or strut
- The support placed in the gap where the bone was removed.
- Posterior instrumentation
- Screws and rods placed from the back to hold the spine steady while it heals.
- Cord compression
- Tumour or collapsed bone pressing on the spinal cord, which carries signals to the legs, bladder and bowel.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about vertebrectomy and corpectomy
How long does the operation take?
Usually several hours, and longer when the front and back of the spine are both involved. The time depends on the level, the size of the tumour and how much bleeding there is. The team will give the family a rough idea on the day and update them if it runs long.
Will I have to wear a brace afterwards?
Some people do, some do not. It depends on the level of the spine, how strong the bone around the screws is and your surgeon's preference. If a brace is advised, the physiotherapist will show you how to put it on and take it off, and tell you when to wear it.
Can radiotherapy be given after the operation?
Yes, and it usually is. It treats tumour cells left near the spine. The radiation team normally waits until the wound has healed well enough, because radiation slows healing. Your surgeon and radiation oncologist agree the timing between them.
Should I stop my blood thinner before surgery?
Do not stop it on your own. Medicines such as aspirin, clopidogrel or warfarin need careful planning, because stopping them can be risky too. Bring every strip and bottle to the fitness check. The surgeon, anaesthetist and the doctor who prescribed it will decide together and tell you exactly what to do.
Will my father be able to walk after it?
Nobody can promise this before the operation. The strongest clue is how well he was walking just before surgery and how long the weakness had been there. Someone walking before surgery is more likely to keep walking. Ask the surgeon what they expect in his case, and what would change that.
Is keyhole surgery possible instead?
Smaller cuts are sometimes used for parts of the operation, such as placing screws through the skin. Removing a whole vertebral body usually still needs an open cut. Ask your centre which parts can be done through smaller cuts in your case, and what that would change.
What should the family watch for at home?
Fever, a wound that turns red, leaks or opens, new weakness or numbness in the legs, new trouble passing urine or stools, a swollen painful calf, or sudden breathlessness. Any of these needs a call to the team the same day, or a visit to the nearest emergency department.
Is it covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
Spine surgery for cancer is often covered when it is part of an approved treatment plan. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and most cashless insurers are accepted. The amount you pay yourself depends on your cover and the implants used. Call the helpline with your card details for an estimate.
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Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NICE — Spinal metastases and metastatic spinal cord compression (NG234)
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Spinal cord compression
- American Cancer Society — Bone metastases
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Decompression Surgery for Spinal MetastasesThe operation used when pressure comes from behind the cordSpinal Stabilisation With Rods and ScrewsThe fixation that holds the rebuilt spineWill I Walk Again After Spinal Surgery?What decides whether walking comes backICU and the First Days After SurgeryWhat the first night and days in hospital look like
Talk to us
Been told a spine bone needs removing?
Send us the MRI report or call the helpline. A surgical oncologist will go through it with you and explain the options. One helpline serves every CION centre.