What are the Causes of Spinal Tumors?
The causes of spinal tumors are mostly unknown. However, the following factors are observed in most patients with spinal tumor.
- Immunodeficiency: Spinal cord lymphomas, are more common in people with compromised immune systems
- Genetic trait: There is a higher incidence of spinal tumors in some families suggesting that there is an associated genetic component to spinal tumors.
- Neurofibromatosis Type 2: It is a hereditary disorder in which non cancerous tumors develop in the nervous system.
- Von Hippel Lindau disease: This is a rare, hereditary condition in which both noncancerous and cancerous tumors develop in the Brain, Spinal cord, Retina, Adrenal glands and Kidneys.
What are the Symptoms & Signs of Spinal Tumors?
- Back pain. This is the most frequent symptom of both benign and malignant spinal tumors. Back pain is a result of compression on the spine, nerve roots, bones or blood vessels of the spine.
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness or loss of feeling in certain areas of the body
- Pain or difficulty in standing or walking
- Decreased sensitivity to pain, heat and cold
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Paralysis
- Spinal deformities
- Erectile dysfunction
- Wastage of muscles
