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1st Meeting of the SCT Forum in London, 4th April 2009

Spinal cord tumours can be found in three separate locations:

Extradural Tumours grow between the spinal canal and the membrane which protects the spinal cord
Extramedullary Tumours grow outside the spinal cord
Intramedullary Tumours grow inside the spinal cord

 Several types of tumours grow in these areas.

They include ependymomas, shwannomas, astrocytomas etc.

Most spinal cord tumours are benign. In most parts of the body benign tumours are not particularly harmful but in this case damage to the spinal cord or nerves can cause many problems. These tumours tend to develop very slowly and worsen over time.

Initial symptoms vary. They can include pain, sensory changes (i.e. numbness) and motor problems (e.g. muscle weakness and spasticity). The parts of the body affected by these symptoms vary according to the location of the tumour along the spinal canal.

 Diagnosis of spinal cord tumours is first by a neurologist, who performs several tests, and then by an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. This shows the spinal cord in detail.

 Treatment for the condition is usually by operation. In some cases it isn't possible to remove the whole tumour and the growth of the residual tumour is normally monitored by regular MRI scans.

It is difficult to predict the long term effects of this condition. Sometimes the nerves can recover to some extent but in other cases there is some permanent nerve damage.
 

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