As the primary communications conduit between the brain and the body, your spinal cord carries information for virtually every system in your body. When a tumor affects the spine, you could experience a wide range of symptoms, depending on the nerves and other tissue affected by the tumor’s mass.
Any spinal tumor is potentially serious; early recognition improves your chances for successful treatment. Sanjay Khurana, MD, and his team in Marina Del Rey and Manhattan Beach, California, specialize in diagnosing and treating tumors affecting the spinal cord, vertebrae, and the tissues surrounding these crucial parts of your anatomy.
Any abnormal mass of cells growing in or around your spinal column can be considered a spinal tumor. These tumors can be either benign (non-cancerous) or cancerous. Due to the essential nature of the spine’s role and its components, even benign tumors can be harmful since they can affect how your spinal cord carries messages and presses on nerves and other tissues, causing discomfort and pain.
In most cases, cancers of the spine are metastatic, meaning that the cancer started somewhere else in your body before moving into the spine. Secondary metastatic spinal tumors are by far more common than primary tumors that originate in cells of the spinal column.
The location within the spine where spinal tumors develop also describes them. Specifically, these types of tumors are:
Masses that form outside the dura, the thin covering around the spinal cord, account for about 55% of all spinal tumors. Any tumors affecting the bones of the vertebrae are extradural tumors.
Tumors originating inside the spinal cord are the least common form of spinal tumor, accounting for approximately 5% of those affecting the spinal column.
The remaining 40% of spine tumors occur between the spinal cord and the dura.
The complexity of the spine means that many types of cells could become abnormal and form tumors. The most common forms of metastatic cancers affecting the spine are breast cancer for women and lung cancer for men.
The most obvious sign of a spinal tumor is pain. Since the spinal column tightly packs various tissues, including nerves, any pressure against existing structures could result in pain. This pain may be in your back, but because nerve roots might be involved, you could also experience symptoms in your arms and legs as the effects radiate along the nerve pathways.
Other symptoms common to spine tumors include:
You may notice a drop in fine motor skills, such as doing detailed work with your hands. When a tumor is left untreated, symptoms could advance to the point where you experience paralysis in the arms or legs.
The sooner we address your symptoms, the better your long-term prognosis. Don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Khurana and his team online or by phone at the most convenient office to schedule your consultation today.
