Spinal Cord Tumours

The spinal cord extends from the base of your brain till your lower back. There are tumours which can grow within the spinal cord or the spinal nerves. These tumours can be cancerous (malignant), spreading to other parts of the body or noncancerous (benign), remaining as a stationary lump.

Causes

• Idiopathic
• Genetic / Inherited
• Exposure to chemicals.
• Tumours from other parts of the body spreading to the spinal cord(Metastatic)

Symptoms

• Back pain radiating to various parts of your body
• Reduced or loss of sensation in your arms and legs
• Weakness of muscles of arms or legs
• Changes in bowel and bladder function

Diagnosis

• Contrast CT Scan or MRI of the Spine
• Confirmatory test – Histopathological examination/biopsy (examination of a small tissue extracted from the spinal cord)

Treatment options

• Wait and watch: If the tumour is in a very early stage, or in elderly, in whom surgery is highly risky
• Surgery:Surgical excision of the tumour is required most of the time. It is a very highly specialised surgery requiring operative microscope and other gadgets. Few of the times when total excision of the tumour is no possible, post-operative radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be required.
• Radiation therapy:Radiation is used to break down remnants of spinal tumours after surgery. Or sometimes if the tumour is inoperable, the radiation might be the only option left.

• Chemotherapy:Chemotherapy drugs destroy the tumour cells. Chemotherapy can also be used in combination with radiation therapy.