Spinal Tumor

Diagnosing Spinal Tumors

Spinal tumors can cause a variety of symptoms depending on their type, location, and size.

Signs & Symptoms

Common symptoms of a spinal tumor include:

• Back pain that reaches the hips or legs
• Cold sensation in the hands, fingers or legs
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Pain that worsens when coughing, sneezing or lying down
• Persistent back pain that does not improve with medication
• Weakness or loss of muscle function in the arms or legs

Diagnosis

Early detection improves treatment outcomes. Diagnosis of a spinal tumor begins with a physical exam to check reflexes, muscle strength, and pain level and location. We may also recommend additional imaging tests, such as:

• Bone scan—to look for physical or chemical changes to the bone.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan—to produce detailed images of your spinal cord.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—to produce detailed pictures that help your doctor examine the structures inside your spine.
• Myelogram—we inject contrast dye into the spinal column to search for conditions in your spinal canal.
• Positive emission tomography (PET)—a scan to study soft tissue, blood flow, metabolism and oxygen use of the spine.
• X-rays—of the spine. 

Spinal Tumor Treatment

At The Christ Hospital, we personalize spinal tumor treatment using advanced techniques that protect healthy tissue. Depending on your diagnosis, your care plan may include:

• Corticosteroid injections—to reduce inflammation and swelling.
• Monitoring—of small, noncancerous tumors that aren’t growing or compressing surrounding tissues through periodic imaging scans.
• Surgery—if needed, to relieve spinal compression or improve spinal instability, especially for tumors that do not respond to other treatments.

Keep in mind that although emerging technologies and surgical techniques allow surgeons to remove tumors that were once inoperable, we can’t completely remove some tumors. No matter your treatment plan, our spinal tumor experts provide compassionate, comprehensive care every step of the way.