Spinal tumors
SPINAL NEUROSURGERY: SPINAL TUMOURS
What are spinal tumours?
Spinal tumors or tumors that appear in the spine are the result of a disorder or injury that affects the nervous system of the spine. Spinal tumors can be primary or secondary. Primary tumors are lesions that come from previous oncologic involvement in other organs. When metastasis occurs, the tumor affects the bone of the spine and if it invades the canal, it produces a neurological deficit.
At BSI, it is these types of tumours that we tackle with a multidisciplinary approach, in order to minimise possible consequences. We combine the biomechanical study and the nervous system study of the patient’s spine with an integrated and specialised vision, which is unique to our understanding of spinal surgery.
In secondary tumors, the involvement is within the canal. They are tumors that may be located within the medulla itself, or compress it. In this case, the neurosurgeon specialized in spine must perform a specific microscopic intervention, with intraoperative monitoring of the nervous system.
What are the symptoms of a spinal tumour?
The pathology usually appears in adults after the age of 40. Patients present with a loss of strength in the legs, tingling in the limbs or torso, or pain in the part of the back where the tumor is located, usually occurring at night.
Spinal tumours cannot be prevented but the prognosis is usually good.
How is a spinal tumour diagnosed?
The diagnosis is carried out mainly by means of an MRI.
It is crucial to consult a spinal specialist at the first unusual symptoms and an early and accurate diagnosis is key. Compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots can result in severe damage such as paraplegia or quadriplegia if not treated in time.
Rarely do spinal tumours present malignancy, but when this is the case, radiotherapy or chemotherapy sessions are sometimes necessary after the operation.
The rest of the patients will need specific rehabilitation.
What is the treatment of spinal tumours?
Spinal surgery requires specialists capable of dealing with highly complex interventions such as spinal tumours. A complication in surgery can result in a serious limitation of mobility or a severe neurological consequence, so the skill and experience of a specialised spine surgeon are extremely important.
Our recommendation, therefore, is to have clinical care that allows appropriate diagnosis as early as possible; a surgical decision that seeks only the benefit of the patient and that operates with the best knowledge and technique available; and a subsequent rehabilitation appropriate to the individual that is not detached from the experience of the surgery.