Symptoms of Spine & Spinal Cord Tumors

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A benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor can cause symptoms that may be mistaken for other diseases. Since an undetected tumor can have serious health ramifications including paralysis or even death, it’s important that you see your doctor or one of the specialists at the Florida Hospital Brain and Spinal Cancer Program if you display any of the following symptoms for any length of time.

Pain
In most cases, one of the first signs of a possible spinal tumor is pain. As the tumor grows, it creates pressure on the nerves of the spine. These nerves then become irritated and inflamed, creating pain. Because they affect the nerve endings in the spine, you may also feel pain in other regions of your body.

Numbness
Numbness may or may not accompany pain. It depends on how the pressure is affecting the impulses that travel between the brain and the nerve endings. Wherever the restricted nerve goes is where the numbness can be felt. In most cases, it will start in the legs, but you may also feel numbness in the arms, hands and shoulders.

Motor Skills
An especially large spinal tumor growth can interfere with your motor skills. This includes a decrease in motor skills in the legs, causing weakness and making it difficult to walk or stand easily. A tumor can also affect the arms, making it harder to hold, clasp or carry things.

Bowel Issues
In more advanced cases, you may experience incontinence or have trouble urinating. This is because the spinal tumor is placing pressure on the nerves that affect the bowel or the bladder, causing paralysis in the region.

Paralysis
If the tumor places enough pressure on the nerves, you may experience paralysis in certain parts of the body. A tumor can actually exert enough pressure that it severs a nerve, leading to a complete loss of control over the extremities. Symptoms this severe occur in more advanced stages, but if initial symptoms are ignored for a long period of time, paralysis can result.