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What Is Cervical Spine Cancer?

Cervical spine cancers arise from metastasis by other cancers to this site and grow in the upper part of the spine, either in or around the bone, spinal nerves or the spinal cord.

  1. Significance

    • The cervical spine starts at the base of the skull and includes seven vertebrae and eight pair of spinal nerves. It protects the spinal cord, supports the skull and controls head movement.

    Symptoms

    • Neck pain is the most commonly reported symptom of cervical spine cancer, and it may extend to the shoulders, arms or legs as the tumor grows. Patients may experience weakness in the extremities, limited range of motion, loss of mobility, low-grade fever, appetite loss, malaise and fatigue.

    Types

    • Tumors grow in the bone (extradural, bony tumors) or in the spinal canal (intradural tumors, involving the spinal cord and nerves). Each type can further be classified as primary (starting in the spine) or metastatic (spreading to the spine) tumors.

    Prevalence

    • According to the USC Center for Spinal Surgery, the rarer primary tumors comprise 0.04 percent of all cancer types. The more common metastatic tumors tend to arise from the breast, lung or prostate. Approximately 25 percent to 33 percent of patients who have metastatic tumors will have spinal involvement.

    Treating with Radiation and Chemotherapy

    • Radiation therapy works best with small tumors while a combination of whole beam radiation and/or chemotherapy is used to treat metastatic cancer.

    Treatment by Surgery

    • Whether surgery is used to remove cervical spine tumors depends on the location, extent of disease and whether it is life-threatening. Removal of the tumor usually requires a resection of the spine, followed by fusion.

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