Spinal tumours can also be classified by whether they are outside your spinal cord, within its protective covering, or within the spinal cord itself
There are many people who suffer from persistent back pain, which they feel can be due to either a wrong sitting position or a deficiency of calcium which makes the bones and joints weak. However, experts believe it can also be a case of spinal tumours due to the abnormal growth of cells within the spinal column. “Pain radiating down the leg can be due to a disc protrusion or spinal narrowing causing a pinch of the spinal nerve,” Dr. Arjun Dhawale, consultant, Orthopedic spine surgeon, Sir HN Reliance Foundation hospital, told Times Now.
According to Dr. Dhawale, these tumours can be cancerous – malignant, or noncancerous – benign – depending on the tests that you must get done at the earliest when you spot the red flags. “A complete clinical assessment as well as relevant investigations like X-rays, MRI, and other investigations including lab tests and PET CT may be needed to ascertain the cause and decide further medical and surgical treatment,” he added.
Experts believe spinal tumours can also be classified by whether they are outside your spinal cord, within its protective covering – known as intradural-extramedullary, or within the spinal cord itself.
How does spinal cancer pain feel?
If your spinal column has cancerous tumors, you may feel back pain because of expanding or weakening of the bone structure, and a sharp compression of the spinal nerve roots. Additional factors, like spinal instability, can also be involved in spinal tumours causing debilitating and uncomfortable back pain.
When you have consistent back pain, caused by a cancerous spinal tumour, it would be like this:
- It begins gradually and worsens over time
- It does not improve with rest and intensifies at night
- Flares up which are pretty sharp and cause shock-like pain in the upper or lower back
A few other signs and symptoms that potentially indicate the origin of back pain, include:
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness
- Tingling sensation
- Decreased temperature sensation, particularly in your legs
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Sexual dysfunction
- Trouble walking
According to Dr. Dhawale, more than 97 per cent of tumours in the spinal column spread from internal organs.
How can a spinal tumour be diagnosed?
Experts say it is a complex process to diagnose a spinal tumour which is done through a neurological test to find out all about the movements and senses. If your doctor finds potential signs of a spinal tumour, they will use imaging tests to confirm a diagnosis. A few other tests would include:
- Blood tests
- Spinal taps
- Urine tests
- Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI
- magnetic resonance spectroscopy or MRS
- Single-photon emission computed tomography or SPECT
- Angiography
- magnetencephalography
- Tissue biopsies
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