Spinal Tumor and Its Their Different Types

Spinal tumor can be of different types. These tumors can cause back pain, spinal injury, and other related problems.

There are primarily two types of spinal tumors, malignant, and benign. Some spinal tumor types are more prevalent in the patients. However, in most patients, these do not commonly occur.

How to determine if a spinal tumor is cancerous or not?

The orthopedic surgery doctor takes a sample of the affected spine cells and sends them to a laboratory. A lab of biopsy checks the nature of the spinal tumor to determine if it is cancerous or not.

A spinal tumor can be of different types of including cartilage, plasma, and bone.

Here is a look at the two major types of spine tumor, malignant, and benign.

Malignant Bone Tumors

There are different types of spinal tumor in this category. Let us have a look at each of the types.

Malignant Cartilage Tumor

Here is a look at the various types of malignant cartilage tumors.

Chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma is a rare type of tumor which grows at a slow rate. The areas where this type of tumor may develop include sacral spine, lumbar, and thoracic. Men are more prone to this type of tumor than women.

Malignant Plasma Cell Tumor

Let us look at the different types of malignant plasma cell tumor.

The cancer of the white blood cells is commonly referred to as malignant plasma cell tumor or plasmacytoma. This type of tumor can develop into multiple myeloma. If it develops into a multiple myeloma, it can become a lot more dangerous.

Plasmacytoma may occur as a single tumor. It can affect people above the age of 50 years. Plasmacytoma mainly affects spinal cord and the surrounding nerve roots. This type of tumor badly affects the vertebral body, causing it to collapse or form a hunchback.

Lymphomas
Cancer within the lymphatic system of the body is known as lymphomas. The lymph produced by the human body helps fight different types of infections, However, if the lymph cells become uncontrollable in their growth, it can cause lymphomas.

Lymphomas may occur in different parts of the human body. However, lymphomas may also cause spinal tumors. The lymphomas mostly affect the spinal cord’s front or anterior part.

Ewing’s Sarcoma
Ewing’s sarcoma is most common in children from age 10 to 15. This type of cancer becomes more visible when the children have rapid bone growth. Males are more prone to get impacted by these types of bone tumor. Half of the cases of such bone tumor occur within the sacrum.

Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a disorder which rarely causes a spine tumor. Most of these tumors affect the anterior vertebral body. However, in some cases, osteosarcoma can impact the posterior spine elements. Both men and women have an equal chance of getting affected because of osteosarcoma. People within the age bracket of 20 and 30 years or the ones who have Paget’s disease get impacted by osteosarcoma.

Chordoma
Chordoma is a tumor that grows slowly. It is a rare condition affecting sacrum and coccyx. Men are more likely to be prone to this problem. Individuals between age 50 and 70 have a higher chances of developing this problem.

Benign Bone Tumors

Here is a look at the benign spinal tumors.

Giant Cell Tumor

Giant cell tumor is rare yet aggressive. People within age 20 and 40 may have greater chances of developing giant cell tumor. Like most of the other types of spine tumor, it develops in sacrum. However, in some cases it may develop in vertebral body. Giant cell tumor may lead to bladder and bowel dysfunction.

Osteoid Osteoma

Osteoid osteoma occurs in patients mostly under the age of 25. Men have a greater chance of developing osteoid osteoma compared to women. Osteoid osteoma impacts posterior column of the spine. An osteoid osteoma spine tumor may develop not more than 2 centimeters. The pain may become a lot more obvious during the night and usually subsides by a pain killer. Please do not use any medicine without consulting your doctor.

Osteoblastoma

Most of the patients suffering from osteoblastoma are under the age of 30. Like most of the other types of spinal tumors, they have more chances of developing in men. These types of spinal tumors can affect spine posterior or column.

Hemangioma

The hemangioma may be caused because of a bone tumor. This type of tumor develops within the bone marrow. The thoracic spine mostly gets affected by hemangioma. People between ages of 20 and 40 may get affected by this kind of spine tumor.