General Symptoms of a Spinal Tumor

The following general symptoms may be associated with a spinal tumor:

• Pain in the neck or back, followed by neurological problems (such as weakness or numbness of the arms or legs or a change in normal bowel or bladder habits) is most common
• Focal spine pain that is worse in the morning
• Pain that is severe when there is direct manipulation or compression of the affected area of the spine
• Pain that does not diminish with rest, and pain that may be worse at night than during the day
• Back pain along with constitutional symptoms, such as loss of appetite, unplanned weight loss, nausea, vomiting, or fever, chills or shakes

Additionally, important general characteristics for spinal tumors include:

• Tumors that originate in the spine (primary tumors) are quite rare
• Primary spinal tumors tend to occur in younger adults and most typically are slow growing and benign
• Most spinal tumors have spread (metastasized) from another area of the body
• For patients with cancer elsewhere in the body, any new complaint of spine pain or neurological deficits requires an immediate evaluation to determine if the cancer has spread to the spine

• John H. Schneider, MD

April 2000

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