Symptoms Linked To Vertebral Tumors
A vertebral tumor is a kind of tumor that affects the vertebrae or bones of the spine. Vertebral tumors can be malignant or benign. Cancerous vertebral tumors can originate in the spinal bones themselves, or they may have metastasized from another malignancy in the body. Primary vertebral tumors form and grow from the disc or bone elements of the spine. The term vertebral tumor does not refer to tumors that develop within the spinal cord components. Common malignancies that occur in the vertebrae include osteoblastoma, osteosarcomas, and osteoid osteomas. Diagnostic medical imaging tests such as MRI and CT scans are used along with a biopsy to confirm a vertebral tumor diagnosis. Treatment for a vertebral tumor depends on whether it is malignant, primary or secondary, its degree of metastasis, the severity of symptoms, as well as the patient's age and overall health. Vertebral tumors are often overlooked because they present with symptoms similar to those of numerous other conditions.
Radiating Back Pain
As a vertebral tumor grows, the patient may experience what is described as radiating back pain as a symptom of their disease. Because a tumor is an abnormal tissue mass, it grows into spaces where it does not belong. The tumor can displace and put abnormal pressure on the spinal cord, blood vessels, spinal nerve roots, and other bones of the spine. Pain associated with a vertebral tumor often occurs in the patient's middle or lower back. This pain is not attributed to any physical activity, injury, or any stress. This pain often radiates or spreads past the patient's back and into the neck, hips, legs, feet, and arms. Depending on the exact location and size of the vertebral tumor, the pain it causes may be worse at night when the patient is in a horizontal position. They may feel pain due to a vertebral tumor as the result of spinal instability it has caused. Pain can occur when standing up or sitting down as a result of tumor-induced spinal instability.
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Loss Of Sensitivity To Temperature And Pain
Individuals who have a growing vertebral tumor often exhibit loss of sensitivity to temperature and pain as an indicator of their tumor. A tumor in the vertebrae can cause impairment or disruption in the nerve pathways that process, receive, and transmit signals from external stimuli. Nerves exit out of small holes on either side of a vertebra in pairs from the main spinal column. From those pairs, they continue to branch out like a web around the body. The sensory nerves are those that send signals to the brain about pain, touch, and temperature, where motor nerves send signals to the brain in regards to muscle movements. A vertebral tumor can grow out from any part of a vertebra including the foraminae or hole where the nerve exits the spinal column. A tumor can press down on peripheral nervous system branches and partially block the foraminae. This blockage stops the transmission of signals with information regarding pain and temperature from the area of stimuli to the brain. Because of the nerve arrangement of the spinal cord, the patient will lose these sensations in one or both hands and arms, or they may lose them in one or both feet and legs.
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