Spine Tumor Removal

Uncontrolled rapid growth of cells without any particular function in the body is called tumor. A spinal tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue within or surrounding the spinal cord. There are two types of Spinal tumors; Benign (non-cancerous) and Malignant (cancerous).

Spinal Tumors are classified according to their location in spine –
1) Intradural-Extramedullary – Grows within the spinal canal but outside the nerves like meningiomas and Nerve Sheath tumors.
2) Intramedullary – Occurs in meninges covering spinal cord in the nerves like astrocytomas and ependymomas tumors.
3) Extradural – occurs between meninges and vertebral body.

Another type of Spine tumors is Metastatic Spinal Tumors. These are the tumors that do not originate in the spinal cord; rather they travel from other parts of the body like breast, blood, lungs and prostrate tumors.

SYMPTOMS

• Chronic neck and back pain
• weakness or numbness of the arms or legs
• Change in normal bowel or bladder habits
• Focal spine pain
• Loss of appetite
• Unplanned weight loss
• Nausea, vomiting, or fever

DIAGNOSIS

• X-Ray
• Magnetic Reasoning Imaging (MRI)
• Computed Tomography Scan
• Biopsy

TREATMENTS AVAILABLE IN INDIA –
After coming to India, be assured that your spine surgeon will take maximum care of you. Depending on the type and location of the tumor, following procedures can be followed by the surgeons –

• DECOMPRESSION – Process of removing the entire tumor or part of it.
• EMBOLIZATION – It is a technique used to shrink the tumor by cutting off the blood supply.
• KYPHOPLASTY – It is minimally invasive surgical procedures that stabilizes a fractured vertebra and help relieve pain. Kyphoplasty uses orthopedic balloons that are inserted into the fracture, inflated to create a hole or cavity, and removed before the bone cement is injected.
• VERTEBROPLASTY -Vertebroplasty does not use balloons. However, a newer technique combines vertebroplasty with radiofrequency ablation to remove the tumor tissue and create a cavity for the bone cement. Radiofrequency ablation uses radio wave energy to break the tumor’s cellular molecular bonds to help remove tissue and create the cavity.
• RADIOSURGERY (CYBERKNIFE) -This is a non-surgical procedure that delivers precisely targeted radiation to treat certain spine tumors. This treatment does not immediately remove the tumor like surgery. The tumor disappears with time.
• SPINAL STABILIZATION – Spinal stabilization may be included with another surgical procedure to treat your tumor. Stabilization usually involves spinal instrumentation and bone graft.