Spinal Tumor

What is a spinal tumor?

A spinal tumor is a mass or lump formed from abnormal cells in or around the spinal cord or nerves. Spinal tumors are either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

These tumors can affect your:

• Blood vessels
• Vertebrae (spinal bones)
• Meninges (the spine’s protective membrane)
• Nerve roots

When spinal tumors go untreated, they can cause permanent nerve and/or spinal cord damage. A benign tumor can grow large enough to compress your nerves and blood vessels. Malignant tumors can spread to other areas of your body and cause life-threatening complications.

What causes cancerous spinal tumors?

Cancerous spinal tumors develop when cellular DNA mutates. This causes the affected cells to grow and reproduce uncontrollably, creating unnatural masses. Cancerous spinal tumors are primary or secondary.

Primary tumors begin in your spine, while secondary tumors are cancers that spread from another part of your body (metastasize). Metastatic cancer most commonly affects the vertebrae.

Almost all forms of cancer can metastasize to your spine. But it’s particularly likely with breast, lung, prostate, kidney, and thyroid tumors.

What spinal tumors might affect me?

Many different tumors can affect your spinal structures. The most common benign tumor is a vertebral hemangioma that arises in the vertebrae. Schwannomas and neurofibromas develop in the nerve roots, while meningiomas grow in the meninges.

Tumors inside your spinal cord include ependymomas, astrocytomas, and hemangioblastomas.

What symptoms do spinal tumors cause?

Back pain is the leading spinal tumor symptom, but you can also develop leg, foot, arm, or hip pain.

Other spine tumor symptoms include:

• Stiff back or neck
• Tingling in the arms or legs
• Arm or leg muscle weakness
• Difficulty walking
• Loss of heat and cold sensitivity
• Loss of bladder or bowel control (incontinence)

Larger spinal tumors can cause abnormalities in your spine’s appearance.

What treatments are available for spinal tumors?

The treatment you require for a spinal tumor depends on what caused it, where it is, and how it affects your spinal function. Primary treatments include:

Surgical removal (excision)

Your Coastal Spine surgeon removes as much of the tumor as possible while avoiding harm to the spinal cord and nerves.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is often your primary treatment if you can’t have surgery. It can also relieve your symptoms, or you might need it after surgery to destroy any remaining tumor cells.

Chemotherapy

You might need chemotherapy for malignant tumors. It can reduce pain and slow tumor growth.

Call Coastal Spine today or book an appointment online for prompt spinal tumor diagnosis and treatment.