Brain Tumors

Spinal Cord Tumors

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

Primary spinal cord tumors -- which are tumors that originate in the spine rather than spread to the spine from elsewhere in the body -- are usually benign and so rare that they account for only a half of 1 percent of all newly diagnosed tumors. Malignant primary tumors of the spinal cord are even less common.

Most spinal cord cancers are metastatic or secondary cancers, meaning that they arise from cancers that have spread to the spinal cord. Cancers that may spread to the spine include lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, thyroid, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and others.

The first test to diagnose brain and spinal column tumors is a neurological examination. Special imaging techniques such as computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) are also performed. Laboratory tests include the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the spinal tap. A biopsy, a surgical procedure in which a sample of tissue is taken from a suspected tumor, helps doctors diagnose the type of tumor.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated July 31, 2008