We tend to ignore back pain thinking that tiredness would have caused it. Over time, this pain aggravates so much that it causes unbearable shooting pain. In such a scenario, a visit to a doctor is must since it could be early stage of spinal tumour. Conventional surgery was an option with a small but real risk of leaving the patient getting paralysed. Given the small size of the tumour, the risk would not have been advisable. This is where cyberknife becomes effective and without any risk, the pain-free non-invasive method can be used to treat Stage I spinal tumour.
Types
Tumour develops within the spine bones. It can be benign or malignant. There are three types that may affect the spinal cord.
Intra-medullary Tumours: It develops in cells that are present within the spinal cord. Examples are astrocytoma and ependymoma.
Extra-medullary Tumours: It develops within the supporting network of cells that are around the spinal cord. This type of tumour affects the spinal cord function. Examples are Meningiomas, Schwannomas, Neurofibromas.
Vertebral Column Tumours:
Primary Tumours: Occur in the vertebral column and develop either from the bone or spine disc. Osteogenic Sarcoma is the bone tumour which comes under this category. These are rare and grow slowly and typically occur in the 21-50 age group.
Metastatic Tumours: This tumour spread from one area to another area of the body. The pain is worse and is accompanied by other signs of serious illness such as weight loss, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting.
The growth of any kind of spinal tumour can lead to pain, neurological problems and sometimes, it can be life-threatening and can even cause permanent disability. In women, spinal tumour spreads from cancer cells that originate from breasts or lungs whereas in case of men, it spreads from tumour cells that originate from the lungs or the prostate.
Symptoms
As the tumour grows, it affects the spinal cord gradually. Depending on the location and the type of tumour, the severity may vary from person to person. The usual symptoms include back pain, loss of sensation especially in legs and arms, difficulty in walking, decrease in body immunity and sensitivity to pain, increase in heat and cold sensitivity, loss of bowel movement control and muscle weakness. Back pain is the early and the foremost symptom in both cancerous and non-cancerous tumours.
Why cyberknife treatmentIJ
Though many other treatment methods may be available for treating spinal tumours but due to the advantage of being totally non-invasive and eliminates the requirement of any kind of anesthetics, cyberknife is a very useful tool saving the patient’s time and helping in better and quicker recovery. Cyberknife radiation surgery is a form of radio surgery that uses precisely targeted radiation to destroy tumours. This system is non-invasive and prevents any kind of blood loss eliminating the need for anesthesia.
The cyberknife system is unique designed robotic system that delivers high-precision surgical procedures.
Treatment for spinal tumours remaining a challenge in India, due to the reason that only limited technology is available, and also the fact that the spine is sensitive and can receive only limited amount of radiation. Cyberknife being flexible in producing radiations is one of the best options for treatment of spinal tumour.
The Writer is Dr Aditya Gupta Director, Neurosurgery and Cyberknife Centre Agrim institute for neuro sciences, Artemis Hospital