The authors have reviewed and analysed 238 cases of the apinal metastases. Those cases were treated from January, 1980 to December, 1986 at the department of orthopaedic surgery of Kosin medical center. Among these cases, 37 were received radiotherapy alone ; 10, surgery alone ; 9, combined treatment and the rest of 137 cases were treated symptomatically. In doing the surgical decompression, it was performed in an emergent basis, designed to minimize the progression of the neurologic dificit and to prevent the serious consequences. The effectiveness of the treatment was discussed. And our review concludes the followings : 1. The most frequent primary tumor is breast cancer in woman and lung cancer in man. A sex ratio is more frequent in woman, and peak age is 6th decade. An average survival time is longest in nasopharyngeal cancer(16.6 mos.). 2. The most frequent metastatic deposit is the thoracolumbar spine(28.57%). 3. The prognosis is best in the breast cancer(83.3%), and cervical involvement(66.7%). 4. The prognosis is good for cases with incomplete paraplegia, intact sphincter control, a long duration of pain and neurologic deficit, and the cases with cord compression of gradual onset. 5. The radiotheraphy is the most effective method of treatment.