The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Although there have been several studies in which the surgical outcomes were evaluated by pain reduction or neurological improvement, there have been few studies focused on the quality of life (QOL) of the patients after the surgery. We considered that the most important consideration in palliative surgery was to respect the wishes of patients and their families, which are likely to be influenced by the patients' QOL for their limited life span. ⋯ These results strongly suggested that palliative surgery is a valuable treatment for metastatic spinal disease. Younger patients were more likely to want active treatment and to seek any functional improvement that contributed to an improved QOL in their limited life span. Pain control and the length of patient survival were important factors for people caring for patients.