Know about Spinal Tumor
Spinal Tumor is
characterized by the growth that progresses in your Spinal Canal or
bones within the spine. This growth may be cancerous or non
cancerous. The tumors that is seen in the bones of the spine
(vertebrae) are called vertebral tumors.
The tumors that
start within the spinal cord itself is called spinal cord tumors. The
two main types of tumors that affect the spinal cord are
intramedullary tumors and extramedullary tumors.
Intramedullary
tumors affect the cells in the spinal cord and extramedullary tumor
affect the cells around the spinal cord.
Growth of any kind
or spinal tumor can lead to pain, neurological disorders or some
times paralysis. Whether its cancerous or not the growth can be life
threatening can cause disability.
Treatment for a
spinal tumor may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or
other medications.
Signs and Symptoms
Different signs and
symptoms can develop depending on the location and type of spinal
tumor. The signs and symptoms develops especially as it affects your
spinal cord and surrounding blood vessels and nerves.
The signs and
symptoms include :
Back pain that
spreads to other parts of body.
Loss of sensation in
the arms and legs.
Difficult in
walking.
Lower bladder
function
Muscle weakness that
may occur in different parts of body.
The spinal tumor
evolves at different rates, In the case of cancerous tumor it grows
fast and non cancerous tumor tend to develop slowly.
When to see the doctor
Back pain may not be
the direct cause of spinal tumor but the early diagnosis and
treatment with a doctor is important if
the back pain is
consistent and progressive.
It gets bad in
nights.
Have a history of
cancer and develop new back pain.
Seek quick medical
attention if you have
Progressive muscle
weakness or numbness in your legs and arms.
Changes in the bowel
function
Causes
Its not clear that
how most spinal tumors develop. Experts doubts that the defective
genes play a role. But its not known that if the genetic defects are
inherited, or caused by any factors in the environment like exposure
to some chemicals.
However both the
cancerous and non cancerous spinal tumors affects spinal cord and
nerves causing to stop agility or sensation. If this condition is
caught early and treated well it would be possible to put a stop to
the loss of function and regain the function of nerves. Depending on
the condition the Spinal tumor is life threatening.
Get proper advice
and treatment options from the health care Portal medeguru which
gives you an insight into the network of best doctors and hospitals
across country. You can use the site as an expert second opinion for
clarifying your doubts on this condition.