What is Spinal Cord Cancer?

Spinal cancer or tumors can develop anywhere on the spinal column, in the vertebrae, spinal cord, or even tissue surrounding the spinal cord. Most spinal tumors result from cancer that has metastasized, or spread, from another location of the body.

Who is at risk for spinal cancer?

The figures showing that the incidence of spinal cancer among males is a little more than that among females do not clearly indicate which set of people is more susceptible to the disease. Some of the risk factors of spinal cancer include a weak immune system, previous exposure to radiation, certain genetic disorders, and chemical exposure.

What is the symptoms Spinal cancer?

Pain is the most common symptom of spinal cancer. The tumor can act on the spine column sensitizing the nerve endings or causing instability in the spine.

When the tumor reaches the spinal cord, symptoms may begin with numbness or tingling in the arms or legs. Then, a patient with spinal cancer may begin to feel clumsy, feel uneasy from not knowing where their feet are, and have trouble with buttons or keys. Spinal cancer symptoms may grow to include weakness, inability to move the legs, and in extreme cases, paralysis.

The common symptoms of spinal tumors may include:

Back pain
Pain in the neck, arms, or legs
Muscle weakness or numbness in the arms and legs
Difficulty walking
General loss of sensation
Trouble with urination (incontinence)
Change in bowel habits (loss of bowel control)
Paralysis to varying degrees
Spinal deformities
Pain or difficulty standing

What causes spinal cancer?

The causes of the spinal tumors are not as well known. Though several genetic conditions may be contributory to the formation of spinal cancer, the risks are much less defined about spinal cancer than those defined for other cancers.

Common risk factors for spine cancer include:

A history of cancer, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma, have a greater chance to metastasize in the spine
Poor immune system
Genetic diseases, including Von Hippel-Lindau disease and neurofibromatosis (NF2)
Exposure to radiation
Exposure to chemicals, including industrial chemicals

What are the types of spinal tumors?

Most of the cancers found in the spine are metastatic, meaning they originated from other parts of the body.

Primary spinal cancers in the central nervous system can include:

Chondrosarcoma is a type of cancer of bone that starts with cartilage
Chordoma, a bone cancer that commonly occurs in the sacrum, the lower back part of the spine
Ewing sarcoma, a bone cancer that affects the bone and the soft tissue around it
Lymphoma (also called primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma or extranodal lymphoma), a cancer of the immune system that is derived from lymphocytes
Multiple myeloma, a kind of blood cancer that affects plasma in the blood cells
Osteosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer that softens the bone
Many spinal tumors are benign but could also cause major issues since they grow and press down on spinal tissue and nerves. Common kinds of benign tumors of the spine are ependymomas, astrocytomas, meningiomas, schwannomas, and hemangioblastomas.

Sometimes, the spinal cancer tumors are segmented into the four areas they can occur in:

Extradural tumors, also known as epidural tumors, occurring inside the spinal column but usually in the space where the outer membrane (dura) is found.
Intradural tumors, occurring inside the dura
Intramedullary tumors, intradural tumors that occur within the spinal cord
Intradural-extramedullary tumors, which are the type that occurs in the meninges outside the spinal cord.

How is spinal cancer diagnosed?

Tests and diagnostic tools to detect spinal cancer include:

Angiography
Lumbar puncture, known as spinal tap
Nuclear medicine bone scans
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Computed tomography (CT) scan
Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scan
X-ray

How to prevent spinal cord cancer?

The primary treatment cannot always be prevented. Spinal cancers and tumors may develop despite any precautionary measure. Even in this case, by taking appropriate treatment of primary cancer and being aggressive on that may prevent the appearance of secondary tumors. However, even after a treatment, cancer can sometimes recur or even metastasize.

Why Tender Palm Super Speciality Hospital for Spinal Cord Cancer Treatment in Lucknow, India?

Tender Palm Hospital has a highly experienced team of spine surgeons and diagnosticians who implement the latest international standard infection control measures. The spine surgery team has decades of experience in treating Spinal Cord Cancer in Lucknow India.