Below you will find a link to the Manchester Cancer MSCC flowchart with an accompanying guide to aid professionals in the management of patients with suspected / confirmed MSCC.

• The Christie and Network Pathway flowchart (2020) [PDF, 248KB]
• Pathway management of metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) (2020) [PDF, 773KB]

Local hospital MSCC pathways

The network MSCC flowchart identifies what is required in order to appropriately manage a patient with suspected / confirmed MSCC. Many hospitals in the Manchester Cancer area have also created their own internal pathways to help their staff navigate some of the differences between departments in each hospital.

Having these local pathways helps staff in these hospitals to efficiently manage their patients in line with local hospital procedures. Attached below are the internal pathway documents for those hospitals with an approved pathway:

• The Christie NHS Foundation MSCC pathway standard operating procedure (2020) [PDF, 610KB]

Impending MSCC pathway 

Patients with impending MSCC need prompt and effective management. This will ensure both symptom control and the prevention of progression to MSCC. Treatment is based on the clinical scenario taking the patient’s symptoms, performance status, extent of metastases, expected prognosis and spinal stability into account.

The following guidance and pathway is based on NICE guidance and current best clinical practice.

• Pathway management and guidance of impending MSCC (2020) [PDF, 592KB]

You can also access the network MSCC guidelines.