Description

Spinal and spinal tumors

What are spinal and spinal tumors?

A spinal tumor is a growth that develops in your spinal
cord or in the bones of your spine.

A spinal tumor, also known as an intradural tumor, is a
spinal tumor that begins in the spine or spinal cord (dura). Tumors that
affect the bones of the spine (vertebrae) are called vertebral tumors.

What are the symptoms of tumors in the spine and spinal cord?

Spinal tumors, especially as the tumor grows, can cause a
variety of signs and symptoms. Tumors can affect the spine or nerve roots,
blood vessels, or the bones of your spine. Signs and symptoms may include:

 Pain in the tumor area due to tumor growth

 Generally, back pain that spreads to other parts of your body

 Less sensitivity to pain, heat and cold

 Loss of bowel or bladder function

 Difficulty walking, which sometimes causes falls

 Back pain worsening at night

 Loss of sensation or muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs

 Moderate to severe muscle weakness in various parts of your body

Back pain is a common initial symptom of spinal
tumors. In addition to your back, the pain can spread to your thighs,
legs, feet, or hands, and may even worsen over time with treatment.

Spinal tumors progress at different speeds depending on the type of tumor.

When should you see your doctor?

 There are many causes of back pain, and most back
pain is not caused by a tumor. However, since the initial diagnosis and
treatment is important for spinal tumors, consult your doctor if you have the
following types of back pain:

 Insistent and progressive

 Not related to activity

 It gets worse at night

 You have a story of cancer and your back pain has just begun

 You have other cancers, such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness

If you experience any of the following, seek medical attention immediately:

 Progressive muscle weakness or numbness in your legs or arms

Changes in bowel or bladder function

 What are the causes of spinal and spinal cord tumors?

It is not known how spinal cord tumors occur. Experts
believe that defective genes play a role. In general, it is not known
whether such genetic defects are inherited or only develop over time. It
is thought to be caused by something environmentally friendly, such as exposure
to certain chemicals. However, in some cases, spinal cord tumors are
associated with hereditary syndromes known as norofibromatosis type 2 and von
Hippel-Lindau disease.

What are the risk factors for spinal and spinal cord tumors?

Spinal cord tumors are more common in people with the following characteristics:

-Norofibromatosis type 2 In this hereditary disorder, benign tumors develop in or near the auditory nerves. This
can lead to progressive hearing loss in one or both ears. Some people with
norofibromatosis type 2 develop spinal canal tumors.

– Von Hippel-Lindau disease. This rare multiple systemic disorder is associated with vascular tumors
(hemangioblastomas) in the brain, retina, and spinal cord, and other types of
tumors in the kidneys or adrenal glands.

 How are spinal and spinal tumors treated?

Ideally, the goal of spinal tumor treatment is to
completely eliminate the tumor, but this goal can be complicated by the risk of
long-term damage to the spine and surrounding nerves. Physicians should
also consider your age and general health. Whether a tumor originates in
the structures of the spine or spinal canal, or does not spread from any part
of your body to the spine, should also be considered in determining a treatment
plan.

Spinal cord neck surgery

Treatment options for many spinal tumors include:

Do not follow. Some spinal tumors can be identified before they cause symptoms, and often even when
you are being evaluated for another condition. If small tumors do not grow
or do not put pressure on the surrounding tissues, they may be the only thing
you need to watch carefully.

During follow-up, your doctor will probably suggest periodic CT or MRI scans at appropriate intervals to
monitor the tumor.

Surgical intervention. This is generally the preferred treatment for tumors that can remove a risk of a
manageable spinal or nerve injury.

Newer methods and tools allow brain and nerve surgeons to reach tumors that were once inaccessible. High-power
microscopes used in microsurgery facilitate the separation of the tumor from
healthy tissue.

Physicians can also monitor the function of the spinal cord and other vital nerves during surgery, thus
minimizing the risk of damaging them. In some cases, very high frequency
sound waves can be used during surgery to dissect the tumor and remove parts.

However, with the latest technological advances in surgery, not every tumor can be completely removed. When
the tumor cannot be completely removed, it can be followed by surgery,
radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, or both.

Depending on the operation, recovery after spinal surgery can take weeks or longer. In addition to
temporary loss of sensation, other complications such as bleeding and nerve
injury may occur.

Consultation in pediatric brain and nerve surgery

Radiation Treatment. It can be used to remove tumor
residues left after surgery, to treat tumors that cannot be operated on, or to
treat tumors where surgery is very risky.

Medications can help alleviate some of the side effects of radiation, such as nausea and vomiting.

Sometimes radiation therapy can be adjusted in your diet to minimize the amount of damaged healthy tissue
and make treatment more effective. The changes can vary only from changing
the radiation dose to using more sophisticated methods such as 3D conformal
radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy, a standard treatment for many types of cancer, involves the use of drugs to
kill or stop cancer cells from growing. Your doctor can determine if
chemotherapy is helpful for you alone or in combination with radiation therapy.

Common side effects include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, increased risk of infection, and hair loss.

Other Medications. In addition to surgery and radiation therapy, doctors sometimes prescribe
corticosteroids to patients to reduce swelling after surgery or during
radiation therapy, as the tumors themselves can cause an infection in the
spinal cord.

Although corticosteroids reduce infection, they are generally used only for short periods of time to
avoid serious complications such as muscle weakness, osteoporosis, high blood
pressure, diabetes and increased susceptibility to infection.