![]() Patients with these types of tumors may have pain for years before any neurological problems occur. Tumors which arise inside the dura are rarely metastatic and are usually slow growing. ![]() In patients already diagnosed with cancer in another area of the body, the new onset of spinal pain may indicate a spinal fracture caused by weakening of the vertebrae by metastatic tumor. In general pain in the neck or back followed by neurological problems, such as weakness or numbness of the arms or legs or a change in the normal bowel or bladder habits, is most common. Spinal tumors may cause a variety of symptoms depending on their type, location, and rate of growth. Intramedullary tumors occur most often in the cervical spinal cord and are often benign. Hemangioblastomas are less common and sometimes occur in conjunction with Von Hippel Lindau disease (a disease in which patients are prone to developing cysts in the kidney and other organs). Astrocytomas and ependymomas account for the majority and occur with about equal frequency. These tumors usually arise from supporting cells (glia) within the substance of the spinal cord itself. Filum terminale ependymomas arise at the base of the spinal cord and may be large and adherent to many nerves, making total removal sometimes difficult. Meningiomas and nerve sheath tumors are usually benign. Schwannomas and neurofibromas arise from the nerve roots which come off the spinal cord. Meningiomas arise from the arachnoid mater (a thin covering layer of the spinal cord which is located inside the dura) and are most common in middle-aged and elderly women. Meningiomas and nerve sheath tumors (schwannomas and neurofibromas) comprise the overwhelming majority this subset of spinal tumors. Osteogenic sarcoma is a malignant bone tumor. Tumors arising from bone and cartilage cells do occur in the spine, although with less frequency. In men, they are most often from the prostate and lung. The most common metastatic spinal tumors in women are from the breast and lung. That is the original, or primary, tumor arose in another organ. These tumors involve the bony vertebral column and are usually metastatic. Different types of tumors often behave differently and require different treatments. ![]() These are usually astrocytomas or ependymomas. Tumors arising within the substance of the spinal cord itself are called intramedullary tumors. These are usually nerve sheath tumors or meningiomas. Tumors arising inside the dura, but outside the actual substance of the spinal cord are termed intradural-extramedullary. These are usually metastatic tumors and most often arise in the vertebrae themselves. Tumors which are located outside the dura are called extradural. The spinal cord is contained within the spinal canal and is covered by a layer of connective tissue, the dura mater. ![]() The circular canal between the body, arch, and pedicles houses the spinal cord and is called the spinal canal. The bony arch is connected to the body by two small columns of bone (pedicles). Each vertebra possesses a cylindrical body, which participates in weight bearing and an arch of bone (laminae and spinous processes) which protects the spinal cord and its coverings. The spine is composed of individual bones (vertebrae) stacked one on top of the other in a column. Spinal tumors are classified by their relationship to the spinal cord and its coverings.
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