The spine is also the site where many tumours arising from other parts of the body migrate when they turn cancerous. Such tumours are called metastatic tumours. The commonly arise from the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid, prostate  and from the blood cells. The appearance of these tumours is a sign of advanced cancer and  the outlook is grim. Some of these rapidly advancing tumours can create spinal instability and also paralysis of the upper and lower limbs. While the majority of these tumours are treated by medical and radiation oncologists, some of them need surgical treatment to stabilize the spine, preserve spinal cord function and keep the patient mobile and improve the quality of their lives.  Two such examples are shown alongwith where the spine has been stabilized and vertebrae strengthened by the injection of bone cement to maintain spine and spinal cord function.

Primary Bone tumours can arise from the bone and ligaments of the bony spine or from the nervous tissue contained within.

These tumours may produce significant local pain, deformity or partial paralysis. In most locations these are treated by surgical excision. 

The case of a osteoid osteoma, which is a primary bone tumour in young adults  is demonstrated.

Bone and Soft Tissue Tumours of the Spine.

The spine consists of nearly 25+ bones. Each or several of these bones can be the site of a tumour or cancerous growth of the spine. The tumours are basically divided into two groups, the primary tumours which grow within the spine itself or secondary tumours which have grown elsewhere but migrated to the spine as part of cancerous process.

MATHUR ORTHOPAEDICS AND SPINE CENTER