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Advanced Spinal Tumor Treatment at Medica
While spine tumors are very uncommon (about one in 100,000 people develops one each year), they can have life-altering consequences if you have one. Back discomfort is the most prevalent red sign when it comes to spine tumors, whether malignant or noncancerous, discovered on vertebrae or the spinal cord. Medica’s department of superspecialty Neurology has some of our country’s most experienced neurologists and neurosurgeons. Our dedicated team has successfully treated several patients through our expertise and advanced medical infrastructure.
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What is a Spinal Tumor?
A spinal tumor is a development that grows within your spinal canal or among your spine’s bones. Spinal tumors can be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) (cancerous). Primary tumors originate in the spine or spinal cord, while metastatic or secondary tumors form when cancer spreads to the spine from another location. Spinal tumors are frequently termed after the location of the spine where they develop.
The cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions are the most common. They can also be divided into three groups based on where they are located in the spine: intradural-extramedullary, intramedullary, and extradural.
Intradural-extramedullary: These tumors usually develop in the spinal cords arachnoid membrane (meningiomas), in the nerve roots that spread out from the spinal cord or at the base of the spinal cord. Although meningiomas are often benign, they can be difficult to remove and have a tendency to recur. Nerve root tumors are also generally benign, although neurofibromas may become malignant over time.
Intramedullary: These tumors grow inside the spinal cord, most frequently occurring in the cervical (neck) region.Astrocytomas and ependymomas are the two most common types of tumors here. They are often benign, but can be difficult to remove. Intramedullary lipomas are rare congenital tumors most commonly located in the thoracic spinal cord.
Extradural: These lesions relate to metastatic cancer or schwannomas derived from the cells covering the nerve roots. An extradural tumor extends through the intervertebral foramina, lying partially within and outside of the spinal canal.
Symptoms of Spinal Tumor
Depending on cancer tissue type, the success rate of surgery to remove spinal tumors is 83%. The following are some symptoms of this medical condition:
- Loss of/abnormal sensation from lower limbs
- Backache that gets worse with time
- The most prevalent back problems are in the middle or lower back.
- Backache that radiates to other parts of the body
- Back pain worsens while lying down and especially at night
- Walking difficulties, which might lead to falling down oftenly
Causes of Spinal Tumor
The cause of most spinal tumors is unknown. Experts believe that faulty genes are at blame. However, it’s sometimes unclear whether such genetic flaws are inherited or develop over time. They could be caused by something in the environment, such as chemical exposure. Spinal cord tumors, on the other hand, have been related to genetic diseases including neurofibromatosis 2 and von Hippel-Lindau disease in some cases.
Other Risk Factors:
People with the following conditions are more likely to develop spinal cord tumors:
- Neurofibromatosis 2 is a genetic condition in which benign tumors form on or near hearing nerves. One or both ears may experience progressive hearing loss as a result of this. Spinal canal tumors can develop in persons with neurofibromatosis 2.mors can develop in persons with neurofibromatosis 2.
- Von Hippel-Lindau disease is a rare multisystem ailment that is linked to blood vessel tumors (hemangioblastomas) in the brain, retina, and spinal cord, as well as tumors in the kidneys and adrenal glands.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of spinal tumors begins with:
- Checking the history and physical examination of patients
- Plain X-Rays
- Spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- CT Scan
- Myelogram
- Biopsy- to determine whether the tumor is benign or malignant
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Highlights of Medica’s Spinal Unit:
- Microdiscectomy (Lumbar, Cervical)
- All types of Spinal Surgery for fracture, Malignancy
- Microsurgery for Intradural & Intramedullary Tumors
- Corrective Surgery (All types of spinal & fixatives cervical through lumbar)
Treatment
Non-Surgical Treatment of Spinal Tumors: Surgery and radiation therapy may cause inflammation inside the spinal cord, thus doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroids to reduce swelling either following surgery or during treatment.
Surgery: Surgical options for the treatment of spine tumors vary from complete to partial removal. Surgery may be necessary as a result of instability caused by the tumor itself or the surgery to remove it. This surgery may be done from the front or back of spine. It may involve going through the neck, chest or abdomen. Newer techniques and instruments allow areas that were once inaccessible. The high powered microscopes used in microsurgery for instance make it easier to distinguish tumors from healthy tissue. The typical hospital stays after surgery to remove a spinal tumors range from approximately 5 to 10 days
Radiation therapy: This therapy is used following an operation to eliminate the remnant of tumors that can’t be completely removed or to treat inoperable tumors.
Monitoring: It is possible to discover minor spinal tumors before causing any symptoms. It is often found when evaluating other conditions. Monitoring is when tumors are not showing signs of growth. Monitoring further includes periodic MRI or CT scans.
Sound waves of high-frequency are also sometimes utilized. The process breaks tumors and removes fragments.
Chemotherapy: Some tumors are difficult to remove even with surgery. In such cases, surgery is followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Recovery after spinal surgery can take a few weeks. It depends on the type of surgery, procedure, and patient’s health. Patients can feel losing their sensation. Other drawbacks can include nerve tissue damage or bleeding. It is a standard tumor treatment. It uses medications for removing the tumor cells and stopping their growth.
Other Drugs: Surgeries and therapies can cause inflammation in the affected location. Doctors recommend corticosteroids for reducing swelling. Patients receive the drugs after surgery and during treatments.
