Spinal Tumor - Types, Causes, and Diagnoses
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Our nurse navigator is here to help answer any Cottage Neuroscience questions you may have. Please contact Chelsea Brooks, BSN, RN, SCRN at 805-450-8820 or at cbrooks@sbch.org
Each year, about 10,000 Americans develop a spinal tumor—an unusual mass of tissue in or around the spine.
Causes of Spinal Tumors
Scientists are still trying to determine what causes spinal tumors. What they do know is that you face a higher risk of spinal tumors if you:
- Have a family history of some rare conditions
- Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) or Type 2 (NF2)
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
- Have been exposed to radiation, for example, through cancer treatment
Diagnosing Spinal Tumors
After you experience symptoms of a spinal tumor, your doctor will do a neurological exam that checks your:
- Alertness
- Balance
- Coordination
- Eye and mouth movement
- Muscle strength
- Reflexes
- Vision
If your results are abnormal, your physician may refer you to a neurologist at the Santa Barbara Neuroscience Institute at Cottage Health for additional tests, including imaging procedures or a biopsy.
Types of Spinal Tumors
Choose the Santa Barbara Neuroscience Institute (SBNI) at Cottage Health for diagnosis and treatment of all types of spinal tumors.
Vertebral Column Tumors
Vertebral column tumors occur in the bone or cartilage of your spine and usually appear in younger adults. These tumors often spread from the lung, breast or prostate. Symptoms include:
- Back or neck pain that doesn’t get better with rest and worsens at night
- Fever/chills
- Nausea or vomiting
- Weight loss
Treatment may involve:
- Pain management
- Removing the tumor’s pressure on your spinal cord
- Stabilizing your spine through procedures such as spinal fusion
Intradural-Extramedullary Tumors
Intradural-extramedullary tumors appear in the dura, your spinal cord’s covering. They are usually benign and slow growing. Symptoms include:
- Back or neck pain that doesn’t get better with rest and worsens at night
- A change in bowel or bladder habits
- Severe pain when the area of your tumor is compressed
- Weak or numb arms or legs
A skilled Cottage Health neurosurgeon can remove your tumor. You may need radiation therapy afterward to kill any remaining tumor cells and stop the unusual growth from returning.
Intramedullary Tumors
Intramedullary tumors occur inside the spinal cord and are usually benign. If you have an intramedullary tumor, you may notice:
- Back or neck pain that doesn’t get better with rest and worsens at night
- A change in bowel or bladder habits
- Severe pain when the area of your tumor is compressed
- Weak or numb arms or legs
A skilled Cottage Health neurosurgeon can remove your tumor. You may need radiation therapy afterward to kill any remaining tumor cells and stop the unusual growth from returning.
