SPINAL
TUMOUR
Spinal Tumour is the abnormal growth of the cells which grows within the spinal canal or in the bones of the spinal column. Spinal Cord Tumour grows within the spinal cord or on the inside of the wall of the spinal cord. The tumour which arises from the bones of the spinal column is called a vertebral tumour.
The spinal cord tumour can be of three types - Intramedullary tumours which arise within the cells of the spinal cord like glioma, astrocytoma or ependymoma. Extramedullary tumours like meningioma, neurofibroma, schwannomas and nerve sheath tumors grow from the outer covering of the spinal cord but can interfere with the functioning of the cord itself. The third type of spinal tumours arise from other parts of the body and spread to the vertebrae or the spinal cord.
Spinal tumors or growths of any kind can lead to pain, neurological problems and sometimes paralysis. A spinal tumor can be life-threatening and can cause permanent disability.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
MRI of the spine is the gold standard investigation for diagnosing any kind of tumour in the spine. CT Scan can also be used in the absence of MRI and CT Guided biopsy would be most definitive in diagnosing the type of tumour.
The treatment for any kind of tumour in the body is to completely excise the tumour through surgery and then to monitor regularly for any kind of recurrence. In some cases where the surgery is extremely difficult or risky, radiation therapy is used to burn the tumour. For large tumorus some cyles of chemotherapy is preferred before surgery so that the size of the tumour can be reduced before removing the tumour through surgery. In some cases the surgeon will remove most of the tumour and residual tumour can be targetted through radiation therapy.
The surgery for tumour excision is done with the help of very high end microscopes so that the surgeon can differentiate between the tumour and the healthy tissue. The results of the surgery improve significantly due to the use of high magnification microscopes.
COST OF TREATMENT
The cost of treatment for spinal tumours starts with consultation with Dr. Sudeep Jain which costs Rs. 1500. The MRI Scan of the spine will cost Rs. 6000 - 7000 while biopsy may cost another Rs. 10,000. Once the location, size and the type of the tumour is establshed through these investigations, the line of treatment is established.
The cost of surgery for tumour excision ranges between Rs. 1.5 - 2.5 lacs. The hospital stay for the surgery is 4-5 days and the recovery takes 3-4 weeks. Rehabilitation starts after the recovery period which is for another 4 weeks. The cost of physiotherapy for 4 weeks would be approximately 15-20 thousand rupees.
The cost of radiation therapy for around 25-30 cycles would be in the range of Rs. 1.5 -2.0 lacs depending upon the quality of the linear accelerator.
The cost for each cycle of chemotherapy would be Rs. 25-30 thousand and the patient might require 10-12 cycles of chemotherapy.
Not all patients would require all the treatments - surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Each case is individual and when you consult Dr. Sudeep Jain you would be given a rough estimate for the cost of the treatment. The progress of the treatment would eventually determine the final cost.
