Can you get cancer in your lumbar spine?

Can you get cancer in your lumbar spine?

Any type of cancer can travel to the spine, but common tumor spread from the breast, lung and prostate are more likely than others to spread to the spine. Cancers of the bone, such as multiple myeloma, also may spread to the spine. Vertebral tumors are also more common in people who have a prior history of cancer.

How do you know if you have cancer in your spine?

Signs and symptoms may include: Pain at the site of the tumor due to tumor growth. Back pain, often radiating to other parts of your body. Feeling less sensitive to pain, heat and cold.

Is spinal stenosis a serious condition?

Spinal stenosis may occur throughout the spine, but it is most common in the lumbar spine. However, spinal stenosis is most dangerous in the cervical spine due to its proximity to the spinal cord. There are several causes of spinal stenosis; however, degenerative changes are typically the most common.

What type of disease is spinal stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck. Some people with spinal stenosis may not have symptoms.

What are the first signs of spinal cancer?

Some common signs of spinal tumors may include:

• Pain (back and/or neck pain, arm and/or leg pain)
• Muscle weakness or numbness in the arms or legs.
• Difficulty walking.
• General loss of sensation.
• Difficulty with urination (incontinence)
• Change in bowel habits (retention)
• Paralysis to varying degrees.
• Spinal deformities.

Where does spinal cancer usually start?

The most common primary spine tumor (originated in the bony spine) is vertebral hemangiomas. These are benign lesions and rarely cause symptoms such as pain. Common primary cancers that spread to the spine are lung, breast and prostate.

Can spinal stenosis shorten your life?

Answer: Yes, you do have to live with it for the rest of your life. However, many patients with spinal stenosis live life in the absence of pain or with minimal symptoms.

Can spinal stenosis lead to death?

It occurs from spinal stenosis that causes pressure on the spinal cord. If untreated, this can lead to significant and permanent nerve damage including paralysis and death.

Is spinal stenosis a crippling disease?

Depending on its severity, untreated stenosis can become debilitating or even fatal. Mild cases of spinal stenosis can be treated through symptom management. For severe cases, especially those that affect quality of life or the nervous system, doctors might recommend surgery.

What organs does spinal stenosis affect?

Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spaces in your spine, can compress your spinal cord and nerve roots exiting each vertebrae. Age-related changes in your spine is a common cause. Symptoms include back and/or neck pain, and numbness, tingling and weakness in your arms and legs.

Can MRI detect cancer in spine?

MRI uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to produce accurate images of your spine, spinal cord and nerves. MRI is usually the preferred test to diagnose tumors of the spinal cord and surrounding tissues.

What were your first spinal cancer symptoms?

Spinal tumor symptoms

• Abnormal gait.
• Loss of sense of position in space.
• Numbness.
• Weakness.
• Tingling.
• Difficulty walking in the dark.
• General mid-back pain.
• Pain at night.