The spine is the most common location for skeletal metastases, and the incidence ofspinal metastasis shows an increasing tendency. Because metastatic spinal tumorsprogress from an anterior element to a posterior element resulting in continuingdestruction of the pedicles, epidural extension and involvement of neural structuresof the metastatic tumor are eventually visible. Therefore, it is clinically significant forradiologists to understand the pathophysiology of spinal metastasis and to assess theinvolvement of neural structures and the disintegration of spinal instability relatedto the pathophysiology. As MRI is also the best imaging modality for diagnosingspinal metastasis, radiologists should accurately assess spinal metastasis and providepractical information to physicians. Therefore, we will describe some analysis pointsfocusing on the understanding of pathophysiology of spinal metastasis and the nextstep toward a more extensive clinical approach using MR imaging.