Seventy-four consecutive cases of tumor death studied for metastases to the lumbar spine showed an incidence of 41 per cent.
Roentgenographic study of the spines removed from the body revealed lesions in only thirteen of the thirty spines with metastases.
It is believed that adequate examination of bone should be a routine part of every autopsy in tumor death, to determine more accurately the incidence of spread to bone. The skeletal system is more often involved by tumor than is commonly believed.