Spinal tumors depending on their location, can be primary bone tumors of the spines or intraspinal tumors.
May be classified into 3 groups based on the compartment involved. Although spinal metastases may be found in each area, they are most commonly extradural. Frequencies quoted below are from a general hospital, extradural lesions are less common in neurosurgical clinics because many of these tumors are managed by oncologists without requiring neurosurgical involvement.
1. extradural (ED) (55%): arise outside cord in vertebral bodies or epidural tissues (see Spinal epidural tumor)
2. intradural extramedullary (ID-EM) (40%): arise in leptomeninges or roots. Primarily spinal meningiomas and neurofibromas (together = 55% of ID-EM tumors)
3. intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT), 5%: arise in SC substance. Invade and destroy tracts and gray matter
▶ Spinal lymphoma. Lymphoma may occur in any of or all 3 compartments.
1. epidural
a) metastatic or secondary lymphoma: the most common form of spinal lymphoma. Spinal involvement occurs in 0.1–10% of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
b) primary spinal epidural non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: rare. Completely epidural with no bony involvement. The existence of this entity is controversial, and some investigators feel that it represents extension of undetected retroperitoneal or vertebral body lymphoma. May have a better prognosis than secondary lymphoma
2. intramedullary
a) secondary
b) primary: very rare