Learn About Spinal Tumor
A spinal tumor is a growth of cells (mass) in or around the spinal cord.
Tumor - spinal cord
Any type of tumor may occur in the spine, including primary and secondary tumors.
Primary tumors: most of these tumors are benign and slow growing.
- Astrocytoma: a tumor of the supporting cells inside the spinal cord
- Meningioma: tumor of the tissue that covers the spinal cord
- Schwannoma: a tumor of the cells surrounding the nerve fibers
- Ependymoma: a tumor of the cells that line the cavities of the brain
- Lipoma: a tumor of the fat cells
Secondary tumors or metastasis: these tumors are cancer cells coming from other areas of the body.
- Prostate, lung, breast, thyroid, and kidney cancer tend to spread to the bones including the spine
- Leukemia: a blood cancer that starts in the white cells in the bone marrow
- Lymphoma: a cancer of the lymph tissue
- Myeloma: a blood cancer that starts in the plasma cells of the bone marrow
The cause of primary spinal tumors is unknown. Some primary spinal tumors occur with certain inherited gene mutations.
Spinal tumors can be located:
- Inside the spinal cord (intramedullary)
- In the membranes (meninges) covering the spinal cord (extramedullary - intradural)
- Between the meninges and bones of the spine (extradural)
- In the spine bones (vertebrae)
As it grows, the tumor can affect the:
- Blood vessels
- Bones of the spine
- Meninges
- Nerve roots
- Spinal cord cells
The tumor may press on the spinal cord or nerve roots, causing damage. With time, the damage may become permanent.
The symptoms depend on the location, type of tumor, and your general health. Secondary tumors that have spread to the spine from another site (metastatic tumors) often progress quickly. Primary tumors often progress slowly over weeks to years.
Symptoms may include:
- Abnormal sensations or loss of sensation, especially in the legs
- Back pain that gets worse over time, is often in the middle or lower back, is usually severe and not relieved by pain medicine, gets worse when lying down or straining (such as during a cough or sneeze), and may extend to the hips or legs
- Loss of bowel control, bladder leakage
- Muscle contractions,twitches, or spasms
- Muscle weakness (decreased muscle strength) in the legs that causes falls, makes walking difficult, and may get worse (progressive) and lead to paralysis
The goal of treatment is to reduce or prevent nerve damage caused by pressure on (compression of) the spinal cord and ensure that you can walk.
Treatment should be given quickly. The more quickly symptoms develop, the sooner treatment is needed to prevent permanent injury. Any new or unexplained back pain in a person with cancer should be promptly and thoroughly investigated.
Treatments may include:
- Corticosteroids (dexamethasone) may be given to reduce inflammation and swelling around the spinal cord.
- Emergency surgery may be needed to relieve compression on the spinal cord. Some tumors can be completely removed. In other cases, part of the tumor may be removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord.
- Radiation therapy may be used with, or instead of, surgery.
- Chemotherapy has not been proven effective against most primary spinal tumors, but it may be recommended in some cases, depending on the type of tumor.
- Physical therapy may be needed to improve muscle strength and the ability to function independently.
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Daniel Lubelski is a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with expertise in complex spine surgery and peripheral nerve surgery. He treats patients with spinal diseases and deformities, spine and nerve tumors, and brachial plexus injuries and other peripheral nerve injuries. Dr. Lubelski’s training in complex and robotic spine surgery, spinal oncology and peripheral nerve injuries allows him to comprehensively evaluate patients and develop custom treatment plans to address symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life. He prioritizes patient-centered care, effective communication and working in multidisciplinary collaboration to identify the best treatment. After obtaining his undergraduate degree at the City University of New York, Dr. Lubelski spent a year doing predoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health. He then obtained his medical degree from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and he performed stem cell tumor research as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellow. Dr. Lubelski went on to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for a neurosurgery residency and an enfolded fellowship in peripheral nerve surgery. His postdoctoral training also included a fellowship in complex spine surgery and spinal oncology at Johns Hopkins, as well as a traveling fellowship with advanced training at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Lubelski is a prolific researcher who focuses on patient quality of life and on using big data to develop individualized prediction models to determine optimal treatments tailored to each person. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and numerous textbook chapters, has lectured nationally and internationally, and serves as a reviewer for the top neurosurgical journals. Dr. Lubelski is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Spinal Tumor, Chordoma, Spinal Stenosis, Spinal Fusion, and Laminectomy.
Gynecology And Obstetrics - Nelson/Harvey Building
Mari Groves is a Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon who cares for children with brain and spinal cord tumors (benign and cancerous), skeletal dysplasia, and spinal deformities such as neuromuscular and early scoliosis. She also sees patients diagnosed with Chiari malformations, spasticity and epilepsy. She specializes in treating patients with all types of spina bifida, including myelomeningocele. As part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, she is an expert in prenatal closure techniques such as minimally invasive fetoscopic repair of myelomeningocele (when the spina bifida defect is repaired before birth). Offering a transitional practice model of care, she follows patients diagnosed with spina bifida from birth to adulthood. Dr. Groves chose to pursue neurosurgery because it allows her to treat patients with complex conditions and help improve the quality of children’s lives. Her research interests focus on pediatric spinal disease and how surgical intervention can impact growth and neurological function during a child’s life. She is committed to building programs that support patients with congenital disorders as they age. Pediatric patients often age out of existing programs and have difficulty locating physicians and treating teams that understand their conditions. At Johns Hopkins, we have a unique ability to provide this type of comprehensive care. Dr. Groves earned her medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2007. She completed residency training in 2014 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she remained for a neurosurgery fellowship, which she finished in 2015. She also completed a spinal deformity fellowship at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Groves is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Spinal Tumor, Myelomeningocele, Tethered Cord Syndrome, Osteotomy, and Laminectomy.
Nikolay Konovalov practices in Moscow, Russian Federation. Mr. Konovalov is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Spinal Tumor, Hemangioblastoma, Ependymoma, Spinal Fusion, and Laminectomy.
The outcome varies depending on the tumor. Early diagnosis and treatment usually leads to a better outcome.
Nerve damage often continues, even after surgery. Although some amount of permanent disability is likely, early treatment may delay major disability and death.
Contact your provider if you have a history of cancer and develop severe back pain that is sudden or gets worse.
Go to the emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number if you develop new symptoms, or your symptoms get worse during the treatment of a spinal tumor.
Summary: Objective With this prospective natural experiment trial on neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) study, we hope to understand the factors leading to tumor progression and neurological disease burden in NF2. Study Population A total of 269 participants, ages 8-75, with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of NF2 will participate in this study. Design Study participants will be evaluated with a thorough physic...
Summary: This study investigates the pre-clinical nano-based analgesics in cells from human dorsal root ganglia (clusters of neurons). Collecting these neurons may help future research related to safe and effective pain treatment.
Published Date: July 29, 2024
Published By: Warren Brenner, MD, Oncologist, Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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