What Is a Spinal Tumor?

A spinal tumor is an abnormal growth that develops within the spinal canal or bones of the spine. They can be benign or malignant with varying degrees of severity. But what does this mean?

Benign tumors: slow growth, local occurrence
Malignant tumors: fast growth, can metastasize (spread to other parts of the body)

There Are Two General Types of Spinal Tumors:

Primary tumors:

Originate in the spine
Relatively rare
Can be benign or malignant and can be in the bone or in the spinal cord itself
- Examples of benign primary spine tumors: osteochondroma, hemangioma
- Examples of malignant primary spine tumors: osteosarcoma, chordoma

Metastases:

These tumors have spread to the spine from a primary tumor of another area of the body
Represent the larger percentage of spine tumors
Usually malignant and mostly located in the bone
Around 15% of cancer patients develop metastatic spinal cancer during the course of the disease
Breast, lung, prostate, and kidney cancers are the four most common cancers which can spread to the spine

What Are The Symptoms of a Spinal Tumor?

Spinal tumor symptoms can vary depending on the type and location of the tumor. Symptoms may include:

Back and neck pain:
- Most present symptom in around 90% of patients
Motor symptoms:
- 60-85% of patients present muscle weakness that typically worsens, progressing to walking difficulties and paralysis
Sensory symptoms:
- Less frequent than motor symptoms, including tingling, numbness, and paresthesia
- Bladder and bowel dysfunction

How to Diagnose a Spinal Tumor?

Spinal tumors can be found coincidentally, during a diagnostic check-up, or from symptoms you may be experiencing. There is a variety of different tests and diagnostic tools, some typical ones are listed below:

Your medical history (symptoms, family history, other diseases, etc.)
Physical examination including neurological examination assessing pain and functions
Medical imaging
- X-ray, MRI, CT, myelography, bone, or PET-scan
Biopsy