If a spinal tumor presses on the spinal cord or nerve roots, it may cause: Back pain that gets worse with time, is not related to activity and is worse when you lie down. Muscle weakness or numbness in the arms or legs that gets worse with time. General loss of sensation, numbness and tingling.
Back pain is a common early symptom of spinal tumors. Pain may also spread beyond your back to your hips, legs, feet or arms and may worsen over time — even with treatment. Spinal tumors progress at different rates depending on the type of tumor.
Pain at the site of the tumor due to tumor growth. Back pain, often radiating to other parts of your body. Back pain that's worse at night. Loss of sensation or muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs.
Primary spinal cancer develops from cells within the spinal cord or in the surrounding structure of bones, tissues, fluid and nerves. Along with the brain, the spinal cord forms part of the central nervous (CNS).
Primary spinal tumors are rare but are more likely to occur in adults between the ages of 65 and 74 and in children between the ages of 10 and 16.
MRI Scan. An MRI scan is the most reliable method of diagnosing spinal cord tumors, although additional tests are needed to confirm the type of tumor.
Spine X-rays provide detailed images of the bones of the spine, and can be taken separately for the three main parts of the spine. Conditions that may show up in spine x-rays include fractures, tumors and arthritis.
X-ray plain film can be available to find most of the vertebral tumors.
The cause of primary spinal tumors is unknown. Some primary spinal tumors occur with certain inherited gene mutations. Spinal tumors can be located: Inside the spinal cord (intramedullary)
Spinal tumor pain typically does not diminish with rest or activity avoidance, and it may intensify at night, causing disturbed sleep.
An ependymoma is the most common type of spinal cord tumor. It begins in the ependymal cells, which line the central canal of the spinal cord and help to direct the flow of fluid in the spinal canal.
Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
MRI is usually the preferred test to diagnose tumors of the spinal cord and surrounding tissues. A contrast agent that helps highlight certain tissues and structures may be injected into a vein in your hand or forearm during the test.
Multiple sclerosis (MS): plaques that may develop in progressive MS can sometimes cause the same symptoms as spinal tumors. Transverse myelitis: an inflammatory disease that causes lesions to form on the spinal cord that may mimic the symptoms and appearance of a spinal tumor.
Primary tumors often progress slowly over weeks to years. Tumors in the spinal cord usually cause symptoms, sometimes over large portions of the body. Tumors outside the spinal cord may grow for a long time before causing nerve damage.
Can it be cured? Historically spinal metastases have been considered incurable. However, recent studies suggest that with aggressive therapy, including surgical resection and/or stereotactic radiosurgery, some patients with one (or only a few) spinal metastases may have a chance for cure.
Aching Pain in the Bones
Tumor growth can result in a number of biological responses, such as local inflammation or stretching of the anatomical structures around the vertebrae. These biological sources of pain are often described as a deep ache that tends to be worse at night, even to the point of disrupting sleep.
It's also crucial to remember that these signs can be similar to other causes of back pain. But what sets them apart for spinal tumors is that they typically become persistent, recurrent, or worsen over time. It's also common for back pain to spread to other locations, such as your arms, hips, legs, and feet.
Aside from leukemia, most cancers cannot be detected in routine blood work, such as a CBC test. However, specific blood tests are designed to identify tumor markers, which are chemicals and proteins that may be found in the blood in higher quantities than normal when cancer is present.
The soft tissues in the body (like blood, skin, fat, and muscle) allow most of the X-ray to pass through and appear dark gray on the film. A bone or a tumor, which is denser than soft tissue, allows few of the X-rays to pass through and appears white on the X-ray.
He found a significant effect on mean survival time: patients scoring 7 or below lived an average of 5.3 months, while those scoring 8 or above lived an average of 23.6 months.
Brain and Spinal Cancer Prognosis and Survival Rates
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the average five-year survival rate for patients with a malignant brain or spinal tumor is 36%. The 10-year survival rate is about 31%.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer to metastasize to the bone in men, and breast cancer is the most common in women. Other cancers that spread to the spine include multiple myeloma, lymphoma, melanoma and sarcoma, as well as cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and thyroid.