Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS)

Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS, 0–18) from six components; banded stable (0–6) / indeterminate (7–12) / unstable (13–18).

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Spinal location
Junctional — occiput–C2, C7–T2, T11–L1, L5–S1 (3)
Pain
Mechanical / with loading (3)
Bone-lesion quality
Lytic (2)
Radiographic alignment
Normal alignment (0)
Vertebral-body collapse
None of the above (0)
Posterolateral involvement
None (0)

Result: SINS 8/18 — indeterminate / potentially unstable (7–12) — surgical consultation recommended.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Bands
0–6 stable, 7–12 indeterminate (potentially unstable), 13–18 unstable. A 7–18 score warrants a surgical / spine-oncology consult.

What you enter

  • Spinal location
  • Pain
  • Bone-lesion quality
  • Radiographic alignment
  • Vertebral-body collapse
  • Posterolateral involvement
How this is calculated
Components
six components sum 0–18: location (0–3), mechanical pain (0–3), bone lesion (0–2), alignment (0–4), vertebral-body collapse (0–3), and posterolateral element involvement (0–3).

Fisher CG, DiPaola CP, Ryken TC, et al. A novel classification system for spinal instability in neoplastic disease: an evidence-based approach and expert consensus from the Spine Oncology Study Group. Spine. 2010;35(22):E1221-E1229. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.