What Are Metastatic Spinal Tumors?
What are the symptoms?
In cancer patients, back pain or numbness in the arms, legs, or elsewhere in the body are symptoms that may signal the presence of tumors caused by metastatic spine cancer. As the tumor grows, the affected vertebra(e) can cause severe back pain.
This sudden pain is sometimes the first sign that the cancer has reached other areas of the body. Even without a fracture, metastatic spinal tumors can place pressure on the spinal cord, causing numbness, and even paralysis.
Another common side effect of metastatic spinal tumors is high blood calcium levels. As the tumor causes the bone to break down, it may release abnormal levels of calcium into the bloodstream, which can lead to loss of appetite, nausea, or other symptoms.
How common are metastatic spinal tumors?
Metastatic bone disease occurs in up to 85% of patients with the three most common types of primary cancer – breast, prostate and lung.1 The spine is the most common site for bone metastases, with studies showing that metastatic spinal tumors will develop in between 10% and 40% of all cancer patients, with even higher rates in elderly patients.2 Several post-mortem studies have found metastatic spinal tumors in over 30% of all patients who died as a result of cancer and cancer-related causes.3,4
Click here for detailed footnotes: 1, 2, 3, 4.