How serious is cancer in the vertebrae?
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How serious is cancer in the vertebrae?
A vertebral tumor can affect neurological function by pushing on the spinal cord or nerve roots nearby. As these tumors grow within the bone, they may also cause pain, vertebral fractures or spinal instability. Whether cancerous or not, a vertebral tumor can be life-threatening and cause permanent disability.
What cancer is most likely to spread to the spine?
The spine is a common target for metastatic cancer. Cancers that originate in the lung, breast, and gastrointestinal tract are the three most likely cancers to travel to the spine. Prostate, lymphoma, melanoma, and kidney are also common primary sources of metastatic spine cancer.
What does bone cancer in the spine feel like?
Cancer in the bones of the spine can press on the nerves coming out of the spinal cord. This can cause numbness and tingling or even weakness in different parts of the body, depending on where the tumor is. Bone cancer, like many other types of cancer, can sometimes cause weight loss and fatigue.
How long can you live with cancer in your spine?
Median survival of patients with spinal metastatic disease is 10 months. Spinal metastasis is one of the leading causes of morbidity in cancer patients. It causes pain, fracture, mechanical instability, or neurological deficits such as paralysis and/or bowel and bladder dysfunction.
How quickly does spine cancer spread?
Tumors that have spread to the spine from another site often progress quickly. Primary tumors often progress slowly over weeks to years. Tumors in the spinal cord usually cause symptoms, sometimes over large portions of the body. Tumors outside the spinal cord may grow for a long time before causing nerve damage.
What happens when cancer gets in your spine?
In severe cases, spinal cord compression can cause paralysis. In some cases, a spinal tumor weakens the bone so much that it fractures (breaks). Other complications of metastatic spinal tumors may include difficulty with balance or walking, and a decreased ability to feel cold, heat and pain.
