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Surgical outcomes of cervical spinal cord tumor in elderly patients assessed by the Japanese Orthopedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire

Spinal Cord volume 63, pages 239–245 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Study design

Single-institution retrospective study.

Objectives

To assess postoperative functional and quality of life (QOL) outcomes in elderly patients who underwent cervical spinal cord tumor surgery using the Japanese Orthopedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ).

Setting

Single university hospital.

Methods

This retrospective study included 97 patients who underwent surgery for cervical spinal cord tumors between 2000 and 2016. Patients were divided into two groups: a younger group (patients < 65 years old) and an elderly group (patients ≥ 65 years old). Surgical outcomes were evaluated using JOA scores and JOACMEQ, with statistical comparisons between age (younger vs. elderly) and tumor types (intramedullary vs. extramedullary).

Results

Preoperative JOA scores were significantly lower in the elderly group compared to the younger group. Postoperative recovery rates were similar between the two groups. Extramedullary tumor resections in the elderly showed notable functional improvements. Conversely, elderly patients with intramedullary tumors exhibited poorer outcomes in lower extremity function and QOL, as measured by the JOACMEQ.

Conclusion

Surgical intervention for cervical spinal cord tumors in elderly patients can yield functional and QOL outcomes similar to those in younger patients, especially for extramedullary tumors. However, intramedullary tumor resections in the elderly may result in less favorable outcomes, particularly in lower limb function and QOL. These findings underscore the importance of thorough preoperative counseling for elderly patients, highlighting potential risks and benefits based on tumor type.

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Fig. 1: The types and locations of the tumors.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Shuhei Ito, Narihito Nagoshi, Toshiki Okubo, Masahiro Ozaki, Satoshi Suzuki, Kazuki Takeda, Takahito Iga, Morio Matsumoto, Masaya Nakamura & Kota Watanabe

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  1. Shuhei Ito
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  2. Narihito Nagoshi
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  3. Toshiki Okubo
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  4. Masahiro Ozaki
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  6. Kazuki Takeda
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  7. Takahito Iga
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  9. Masaya Nakamura
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  10. Kota Watanabe
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Contributions

SI and KW designed the study; SI and NN analyzed the data; TO, MO, SS, KT, TI, MM and MN supervised the study; SI and NN wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Narihito Nagoshi.

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Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Committee on Ethics and Institutional Review Board (approval number: 20110142). We certify that all applicable institutional regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research.

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Informed consent for publication was obtained by all participants in this study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ito, S., Nagoshi, N., Okubo, T. et al. Surgical outcomes of cervical spinal cord tumor in elderly patients assessed by the Japanese Orthopedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire. Spinal Cord 63, 239–245 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-025-01075-z

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