SPINAL CANCER
An uncontrolled growth of the cells in the body is called cancer. When it happens in the spine it is called spinal cancer. Spinal cancer is dangerous as the spinal cord along with brain forms the part of central nervous system in the body. When cancer is locally present then it is called grade 1 cancer, when it spreads to nearby organs then it is grade 2 and when it spreads to far away objects then it is called Grade 3 or Grade 4 cancer. When the cancer is in grade 3 or grade 4 then it is called metastasis. The reason for the spinal cancer has not yet been identified but it is seen that patients with past history of cancer or having compromised immune system or exposures to radiation or certain types of chemicals have more chances to develop spinal cancer.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of spinal cancer may vary depending upon the grade and location. The most common symptom that has been observed in patients seen at spine specialist Dr Sudeep Jain's spine clinic in New Delhi is pain and numbness in the body part which is affected due to the pressure exerted by the tumour. Many patients seen by Dr Sudeep Jain at his New Delhi centre also complain of neurological deficits like loss of fine motor skills, problem in balance and some even have paralysis. Other symptoms may include:
Muscle weakness
Difficulty walking
Loss of bowel bladder control
Spinal Deformities
Paralysis of one side or both side
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT
Treatment for cancer depends upon the early diagnosis and staging. The diagnostic evaluation has to be comprehensive to plan the best line of treatment for the patient. There are various techniques and modalities for diagnosing and staging. The most common is an MRI or CT Scan. Most of the time a contrast study is the preferred choice unless the patient is having impaired kidney function. Other tests include Lumbar puncture or a nuclear medicine bone scan or a whole body PET CT which is considered as the best tool for staging the cancer.
Once the diagnosis is done it is relatively easy for the spine specialist and surgeon to plan the line of treatment which could give the patient best quality of life. In case of localized tumour the best option is to go ahead with the excision of the tumour followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In case the tumour is in advanced stage and has spread to other parts of the body or spine is not the primary site of the cancer then the treatment would largely be symptomatic through chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
