Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression
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The South West London Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression (MSCC) Service is based at St George’s Hospital and provides a 24 hour advisory service and surgical management for the patients with MSCC. The service serves south west London and is part of the South West London and St Lukes Cancer Alliance (SLCA).
MSCC is defined as spinal cord or cauda equina compression by direct pressure and/or induction of vertebral collapse or instability by metastatic spread or direct extension of malignancy that threatens or causes neurological disability.
The majority of MSCC cases occur in patients with a pre-existing cancer diagnosis, however in around 20% of patients it is their first cancer presentation.
Contact details
The Lead MSCC Coordinator at St George’s Hospital is on 020 8672 1255 and Bleep 6027
There is 24 hour access to this service:
0830-1630 Monday-Thursday and Friday 0800-1600 via Bleep 6027 via SGH switchboard.
At all other times www.referapatient.org or Bleep 7242 for urgent clinical advice only
Referrals
Referring clinicians/local MSCC Co-ordinators will be signposted by the Lead MSCC Co-ordinator/On-call Neurosurgical Registrar to access the South West London MSCC Service Referral Form.
This form must be completed electronically and returned to the South West London MSCC Service. The fully completed form should then be e-mailed to:
A copy of the form should also be sent to the Cancer Centre at the same time to provide patient details to allow the Clinical Oncologist to initiate emergency radiotherapy if/once surgery has been excluded.
- Royal Marsden Hospital
Email rmh-tr.MSCC@nhs.net - Royal Surrey County Hospital
rsc-tr.MSCC@nhs.net
Please contact the Lead MSCC coordinator and the Clinical Oncologist (or AOS administrator at the local Trust) to confirm how the form has been sent via e-mail
Please refer to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Referral Form, Referral Flow Chart and MSCC Access Pathways for a comprehensive overview of the service.
Standard Operating Policy 2015
Treatment Algorithm for Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression 2016
MSCC Access Pathways 2016
Mortality data
Consultant outcome publication (COP) is an NHS England initiative to increase transparency within the NHS and to provide the public with information on surgical outcomes. The Neurosurgical National Audit Programme (NNAP) has been mandated by NHS England to publish activity and mortality data for all neurosurgery units and consultant neurosurgeons practising in England.
The newly published mortality data shows that the St George’s Hospital neurosurgery unit has a lower than expected mortality rate. You can read the NNAP report on St George’s and compare our performance with other neurosurgery units on the Neurosurgical National Audit Programme website.
