Spinal Tumor
Definition
A spinal tumor is a growth in the area of the spine. 的 term spinal tumor may be used when a tumor is in:
的 tumor can cause the spine to not work as it should. 肿瘤 可能是:
- Benign—noncancerous and does not spread to nearby tissue
- Malignant—cancer that can spread to nearby tissue and other parts of the body
| Spinal Cord and Vertebra |
 |
| Copyright © 2002 Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. |
原因
的 most common cause is the spread of cancer from other parts of the body. Any cancer in the body can spread to the bones around the spinal cord. 的 cancers that do this most often are:
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Colon cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- 淋巴瘤
- Gynecologic cancer
Less often the cancers will spread to the spinal cord itself.
肿瘤 can also start growing in the spinal cord or the nerves that come from it.
Risk Factors
Things that may raise the risk of spinal tumors are:
- A weak immune system
- History of cancer
Symptoms
Small tumors may not cause any health problems. Larger tumors may press on or affect nearby nerves or blood vessels. 的 most common health problem is back pain that was not caused by an injury. 的 pain may get worse over time and spread to the hips, legs, or arms.
Other health problems will depend on where the tumor is. A person may have:
- Problems sensing cold, heat, or pain in the legs, arms, or chest
- Loss of muscle strength in the legs, arms, or chest
- Problems using the arms and legs for basic tasks like walking
- Loss of bladder and bowel control
- Paralysis
Diagnosis
的 doctor will ask about symptoms and health history. A physical exam may be done. Neurological tests may also be done to look for the source of back or neck problems.
Pictures of the spine will be taken. This can be done with:
Other tests may be done to learn more about the tumor.
Treatment
Treatment will depend on the type of tumor and where it is. Choices may include one or more of the following:
- Watching a benign tumor that is not causing problems
- Surgery to remove the tumor
- Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells with 药物
- Radiation therapy to kill cancer cells or shrink the tumor with radiation
Prevention
的re are no known ways to prevent spinal tumors.
References
- Spinal cord tumors. EBSCO DynaMed 网站. Available at: http://www.力学.com/condition/spinal-cord-tumors.
- Spinal cord tumor. UCSF Health 网站. Available at: http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/spinal-cord-tumor.
- Spinal tumors. American Association of Neurological Surgeons 网站. Available at: http://www.感染。.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Spinal-肿瘤.
- Spinal tumors. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 网站. Available at: http://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/spinal-tumors.html.