Spinal Tumors

A spinal tumor is a growth of cells (mass) in or surrounding the spinal cord.

Causes of Spinal Tumors

Any type of tumor may occur in the spine, including primary and secondary tumors.

Primary tumors: most of these tumors are benign and slow growing.

• Astrocytoma: a tumor of the supporting cells inside the spinal cord
• Meningioma: tumor of the tissue that covers the spinal cord
• Schwannoma: a tumor of the cells surrounding the nerve fibers
• Ependymoma: a tumor of the cells line the cavities of the brain
• Lipoma: a tumor of the fat cells

Secondary tumors or metastasis: these tumors are cancer cells coming from other areas of the body.

• Prostate, lung, and breast cancers
• Leukemia: a blood cancer that starts in the white cells in the bone marrow
• Lymphoma: a cancer of the lymph tissue
• Myeloma: a blood cancer that starts in the plasma cells of the bone marrow

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)
• In the membranes (meninges) covering the spinal cord (extramedullary - intradural)
• Between the meninges and bones of the spine (extradural)
• In the bony vertebrae

As it grows, the tumor can affect the:

• Blood vessels
• Bones of the spine
• Meninges
• Nerve roots
• Spinal cord cells

The tumor may press on the spinal cord or nerve roots, causing damage. With time, the damage may become permanent.

Symptoms of Spinal Tumors

The symptoms depend on the location, type of tumor, and your general health. Secondary tumors that have spread to the spine from another site (metastatic tumors) often progress quickly. Primary tumors often progress slowly over weeks to years.

Symptoms may include:

• Abnormal sensations or loss of sensation, especially in the legs
• Back pain that gets worse over time, is often in the middle or lower back, is usually severe and not relieved by pain medicine, gets worse when lying down or straining (such as during a cough or sneeze), and may extend to the hips or legs
• Loss of bowel control, bladder leakage
• Muscle contractions, twitches, or spasms (fasciculations)
• Muscle weakness (decreased muscle strength) in the legs that causes falls, makes walking difficult, and may get worse (progressive) and lead to paralysis