Spinal column tumors, also referred to as extradural spinal tumors, are located outside of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. They are typically metastatic, and usually from cancer of the lungs, breasts, prostate, kidneys, or thyroid or from lymphoma (eg, Hodgkin lymphoma, lymphosarcoma, reticulum cell sarcoma).
Spinal column tumors (extradural spinal tumors) cause symptoms and damage by compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots. Most spinal column (extradural tumors) invade and destroy bone before compressing the cord.
Spinal column tumors can cause the following symptoms:
- Pain, occurring at night when laying down
- Local back or neck pain or radiating pain
- Progressive weakness and numbness in the arms or legs
- Impaired bowel or bladder function
- Impotence
- Ataxia (lack of muscle coordination, unsteady movements, staggering gait)
TREATMENT
Treatment of spinal column tumors typically is designed to reduce the back or neck pain caused by the tumor. This may include removing any pressure on the spinal cord, as well as maintaining the mechanical stability of the spine. Stereotactic radiosurgery delivered by a specialized device such as the Novalis TX system may be used to reduce the pain and control the growth of the tumor. In some cases, stereotactic radiosurgery may even completely eliminate the tumor.
More specifically, stereotactic spine radiosurgery involves the precise delivery of high doses of radiation to tumors of the spine column that limits the radiation exposure to normal surrounding structures. Novalis is a form of knifeless surgery that uses a precalculated amount of radiation targeted to match a tumor’s shape. This helps spare healthy tissue from radiation and can eliminate side effects commonly associated with standard radiation therapy. Amazingly, within a few weeks of just one Novalis treatment — lasting only about 30 minutes — a spinal column tumor may be visibly smaller. Full effects of Novalis treatment can be gauged after three months of treatment.
Research has demonstrated that treatment of spinal column tumors with stereotactic radiosurgery devices such as the Novalis TX system, yields high rates of pain control as well as limits the growth of the spine tumor. Such research also reflects long-term pain improvement occurring in 86% of patients with spine metastases. Clearly, spine radiosurgery is an important part of the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with spine tumors. Dr. Karahalios has nearly ten years of experience using stereotactic radiosurgery to treat his patients with spine tumors and has seen excellent results.
In many cases, stereotactic radiosurgery and conventional or image-guided surgery may both be performed to treat a patient with a spinal column tumor. Surgery consists of removal of the portion of the spinal column involved with the tumor to relieve pressure (decompress) on the spinal cord. In some cases where the stability of the spine is compromised, bone grafts and metal implants will be used to re-enforce the spine in a spinal fusion procedure.