The tumor pathology of the spine is divided into two:
- The one associated with the bony skeleton: metastases, hemangiomas….
- That associated with the neurological tissue: meningiomas, neurinomas, ependymomas…
When assessing the pathology, two different points of view will be taken into account:
- The neurological situation since it may be producing tumors with progressive neurological deficits.
- The assessment of the possible instability of the spine, essentially important in cases of lesions affecting the vertebrae.
What parts of the body can be affected by the pathology?
Depending on the location of the lesion. The four extremities may be affected in cases of cervical lesions or the lower extremities when the lesion is located at the dorsal or lumbar level.
What are the most frequent lesions due to spinal tumor pathology?
The most frequent are those affecting the vertebrae. Metastases in most cases, and bone tumors originating in the vertebrae are much less frequent.
As for intradural tumors, most are extramedullary, meningiomas and neurinomas. These tumors represent 10% of all spinal tumors (astrocytomas and ependymomas).