Spinal Cord Tumors: Understanding Your Diagnosis and Your Options
A spinal cord tumor is rare, and the word “tumor” is scary. Many spinal tumors are benign and slow-growing, and with careful surgery and modern treatment, many patients keep or regain their strength and independence.
What Is a Spinal Cord Tumor?
A spinal cord tumor is an abnormal growth in or around the spinal cord. Doctors group them by where they grow:
- Intramedullary tumors grow inside the spinal cord itself.
- Intradural-extramedullary tumors grow inside the protective sac (dura) but outside the cord, such as meningiomas and schwannomas.
- Extradural tumors grow outside the dura, usually in the bones of the spine, and are most often cancer that has spread (metastatic spine disease).
This page focuses on tumors that grow inside the spinal cord. Learn more about the other types on our pages for intradural tumors and extradural tumors.
Types of Spinal Cord Tumors
- Ependymomas: the most common spinal cord tumor in adults; usually slow-growing and often have a clear border that allows removal
- Astrocytomas: more common in children and young adults; tend to blend into the cord, making complete removal harder
- Hemangioblastomas: benign tumors with a rich blood supply, sometimes linked to von Hippel-Lindau disease
- Less common types: metastases to the cord, lymphoma and others
Symptoms
Common symptoms
- Back or neck pain, often worse at night or lying down
- Numbness, tingling or burning in the arms, legs or trunk
- Weakness or clumsiness
- Trouble with balance or walking
Symptoms patients often ignore
- Slowly changing handwriting or dropping objects
- Legs that feel stiff, heavy or “not your own”
- Subtle bladder urgency, frequency or constipation
- Symptoms that creep up over months and get blamed on aging or a pinched nerve
When it’s an emergency: Rapidly worsening weakness, numbness in the groin, or bladder or bowel changes need emergency care. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Causes and Risk Factors
Most spinal cord tumors have no known cause. Genetic conditions that raise the risk include neurofibromatosis type 2 (linked with ependymomas) and von Hippel-Lindau disease (linked with hemangioblastomas).
How We Diagnose Spinal Cord Tumors
- Neurological exam: strength, sensation, reflexes, balance and walking
- MRI with and without contrast: the key test; it shows the tumor, any cyst (syrinx) in the cord and swelling around it
- Additional imaging: sometimes brain MRI or other scans if a genetic condition or spread is suspected
Treatment Options
Observation
Small tumors that aren’t causing symptoms may be monitored with regular MRI scans.
When surgery makes sense
For tumors that cause symptoms or are growing, surgery is usually the first treatment. It provides a diagnosis and, for many tumors such as ependymomas and hemangioblastomas, can remove the tumor completely and correct the problem. Surgery is performed with a microscope and continuous nerve monitoring to protect spinal cord function (spinal cord tumor resection). When a tumor can’t be fully removed safely, the goal is to remove as much as possible while preserving function.
Radiation and other treatment
Radiation may be recommended for tumors that can’t be completely removed, are malignant or come back. Some tumors are also treated with chemotherapy or targeted therapy, coordinated with an oncology team.
Why Choose Dr. Betsy Grunch for Spinal Cord Tumors
- Duke-trained: neurosurgical residency and spine research fellowship at Duke University School of Medicine, where she received the Spine Young Investigator Award
- Experience you can count on: in practice since 2013, performing 400 to 600 surgeries a year and more than 5,000 procedures over her career
- Precise, protective surgery: microsurgical technique with nerve monitoring to protect spinal cord function
- The right treatment for you: board-certified (FAANS, FACS, FCNS), she starts with the least invasive option that will work, and recommends surgery when it can correct the problem
- Clear answers: known online as Ladyspinedoc, she makes sure you understand your imaging and every option in front of you
What to Expect If You Need Surgery
Before surgery
You’ll meet with Dr. Grunch or one of her physician assistants to review your MRI and talk through the goals and risks of surgery. Our team coordinates pre-operative testing and reviews your medications.
Procedure day
Spinal cord tumor surgery usually takes several hours. Most patients stay in the hospital for several days, and some benefit from a short stay in inpatient rehabilitation.
Recovery timeline
- Days 1-7: walking with help; some temporary numbness or weakness is common
- Weeks 2-6: physical therapy; gradual increase in activity
- Weeks 6-12: return to many daily activities as cleared
- Months to a year: strength and sensation can keep improving; regular MRI scans monitor the spinal cord
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spinal cord tumors cancer?
Many are benign or low-grade and slow-growing. The exact type is confirmed by examining the tumor after it is removed.
Can the tumor be completely removed?
Often, yes, especially ependymomas and hemangioblastomas with a clear border. Tumors that blend into the cord may only be partially removed.
Will I be paralyzed after surgery?
The goal of surgery is to protect and preserve function. Some patients have temporary numbness or weakness afterward that improves with time and therapy. Your surgeon will talk through your specific risks.
Why does early treatment matter?
Patients who have better strength and walking before surgery tend to have the best results afterward.
Will I need more treatment after surgery?
Some patients need radiation or other treatment, and everyone needs follow-up MRI scans to watch for regrowth.
Take the Next Step
Hearing that you have a spinal tumor is frightening. Whether you need a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a second opinion, Dr. Grunch and the Southern Neurosurgery team are here to help you understand your options.
Call 470-293-9800 to schedule an appointment or contact us online.
Have a question first? Ask our virtual assistant anything, 24/7.
We see patients across metro Atlanta and North Georgia at our offices in Gainesville, Sandy Springs and South Atlanta (Riverdale). Find the office nearest you.
This page is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have sudden weakness, numbness in the groin, or bladder or bowel changes, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.