A spinal tumor is a mass of tissue that forms by the accumulation of abnormal cells in one location. As cells age, they typically die and get replaced by new cells. Tumors form when something disrupts the cycle so that the cells grow instead of die. As the process continues, new cells are added to the mass and the tumor continues to grow.

Tumors that grow within the spinal canal or within the bones of the spine are rare but are a serious health risk that should be promptly treated. Not all spinal tumors are malignant (cancerous), but all need to be removed or reduced because they can compress your spinal cord and the nerves that carry messages to and from your brain.

Spinal tumors are divided into different classifications. Primary brain tumors refer to tumors that originate in the brain, and metastatic tumors are tumors that originate elsewhere in the body and travel through the bloodstream to the spine. Primary tumors may be either benign or malignant. Metastatic tumors are malignant.

New treatments are being developed rapidly and the prognosis for patients with spinal tumors is brighter than it ever was in the past.