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Spinal Oncology

Spinal oncology is the diagnosis and treatment of tumors of the spine. Physicians involved in spinal oncology may include neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, oncologists and others.

  1. Primary or Secondary Tumors

    • Tumors in the spine are either primary (benign or malignant) or secondary (metastatic) tumors. Metastatic tumors are the result of the spread (metastasis) of cancer from another part of the body. According to the Moffit Cancer Center, cancer will eventually spread to the spine in more than 40 percent of patients who have cancer at another location in their body.

    Types of Tumors

    • Tumors that grow between the vertebrae of the spine are called extradural tumors. If an extradural tumor is malignant, it most likely spread to the spine from another part of the body. However, malignant extradural tumors that can begin in the spine include Ewing's sarcoma, multiple myeloma and osteosarcoma, which is the most common type of bone cancer in children. Extradural benign tumors include osteoid osteomas, osteoblastomas and hemangiomas.

      Intradural-extramedullary tumors grow in the arachnoid meninges, a membrane that protects the spinal cord. These types of tumors include filum terminale ependymomas, meningiomas, schwannomas and neurofibromas.

      Intramedullary spinal cord tumors grow within the cells of the spinal cord. Most intramedullary tumors are either astrocytomas, which mostly occur in children and adolescents, or ependymomas.

    Diagnosis

    • The most common symptom of a spine tumor is pain that tends to get worse because the tumor is pressing on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Other possible signs of a tumor include numbness, abnormal sensations or weakness in the arms or legs, and loss of bowel or bladder control. Doctors typically use imaging techniques (X-rays, CT, MRI, PET and myelograms) to diagnose spinal tumors.

    Treatment

    • The treatment of a spinal tumor depends on the type and location of the tumor and the patient's other circumstances and health conditions. Options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. Sometimes, if the tumor is not malignant and not causing symptoms, observation is the treatment of choice.

    Considerations

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, benign tumors in most parts of the body often aren't considered particularly serious. However, when a benign tumor occurs around the spine, the tumor can compress nerves, causing pain, neurological problems and sometimes paralysis.

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