Spinal Tumor
A spinal tumor is usually referred to as a tumor in the spinal canal or spinal cord. A tumor that begins in the spinal cord or dura (the layer covering the spinal cord or brain) is called an intradural tumor or spinal cord tumor. A tumor that occurs in vertebrae is called vertebral tumors.
Two main types of intradural tumor:
Intramedullary tumor – this tumor starts in the cells of the spinal cord.
Extramedullary tumor – this tumor is in the lining or nerve root covering the spinal cord. This type of tumor puts pressure on your spinal cord, but it does not develop inside the spinal cord.
Tumor from other parts of the body can spread to the vertebrae that support the spinal cord. And is some rare cases can also engulf the spinal cord.
Different types of tumors
- Astrocytoma
- Chordoma
- Apendymona
- Glioma
- Meningioma
- Neurofibroma
- Schwannoma
Symptoms of spinal tumor
A spinal tumor can have many symptoms, especially during their growth. This tumor may affect your spinal cord, nerve root, and blood vessel.
Symptoms of the spinal tumor can be as follows:
- Acute pain at the site of the tumor due to the growth of tumor.
- A backache that spreads to other parts of the body.
- Impaired ability to feel cold and hot.
- Impaired rectal or bladder capacity.
- Trouble walking or may even fall while walking.
- A backache that aggravates at night.
- Muscle weakness or loss of sensation in the leg and arm.
The initial symptoms of a spinal tumor are backache but it can spread from back to leg, feet, buttock, arm or other parts of the body. And also it increases with time.
Causes of spinal tumor
The cause of a spinal tumor is yet not clear. According to experts, defect in genes may be the main cause of the spinal tumor. But it is not known that this defects id genetic or it develops itself over time. This defect can cause by exposure to the environment or a chemical. Although in some cases spinal tumors are associated with a genetic disorder.
Spinal tumors are common in people with this disorder.
Neurofibromatosis 2- it is a genetic disorder that causes a tumor to form around the nerves that support hearing. This can lead to hearing loss to both the ears. Some patients suffering from this may have spinal canal tumor.
Von Hepple-Lindow Disease- it is a rare disorder that is associated with the tumor of the blood vessel of the brain, retina of the eye, spinal cord and many other types.
Treatment of spinal tumors
Because the symptoms of spinal tumor are almost similar to those of any other back pain disease. And if your doctor suspects a spinal tumor, then the doctor wants to confirm it and try to determine the location of tumor by performing some important examination like M.R.I test, siti scan and biopsy in severe cases.
The purpose of treating spinal tumor is to eliminate the tumor. A spinal tumor is treated according to your age and physical condition. The method of treatment depends on the type and location of the tumor.
Surgery
In most of cases, the doctor may advise you to have surgery to get rid from the spinal tumor. So that your tumor can be remove from its root. Now the neurosurgeon can reach those tumors also that were once considered inaccessible with the help of new techniques and instruments. In microsurgery, it is easier to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue with the help of the high powered microscopes. In some cases to break tumors and remove the fragments, surgeons may use very high-frequency sound waves in the surgery. But not all the tumors can be removed totally despite the use of the latest technological advances in the surgery. If the tumor can’t be removed completely in the surgery, then your doctors may advise you to go for other treatments like radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy
Even after the operation if your tumor is not completely removed or the tumor is in the location where it is difficult to perform the operation or the tumor which is dangerous to perform, then the radiation therapy techniques are used to abolish the tumor completely. Sometimes your radiation therapy regimen may be adjusted to help minimize the amount of healthy tissue that’s damaged and to make the treatment more effective. Modification may range from simply changing the dosage of radiation to using techniques such as 3-D conformal radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the ideal treatment to cure many types of cancer. Under this, the medication used to give to destroy the cancer cells or to stop them from growing. Chemotherapy proves to be the most effective treatment to remove the spinal tumor completely.
Other medicine
Doctors may prescribe you to take corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation which occurs after the operation or radiation therapy. Although, corticosteroids are used to reduce the inflammation, your doctor may prescribe this for other reasons also like muscle weakness, osteoporosis, high BP, sugar and reduced the susceptibility of infection. These drugs are given for a short time.
Tumor treatment has never been easy, you may have to go through some problems or it may take a few weeks to recover after the operation. But it is for sure that the treatment of spinal tumor is completely possible. Dr. Sudeep Jain who is a very well-known spinal surgeon can able to treat every type of spinal tumor by using all types of modern techniques. For any kind of spinal problem, come under treatment of the experts at Spine Solution India.
