Description and Possible Medical Problems
There’s always the possibility that if you feel a pain in your spine that becomes sharp when you move, you may have fractured one of your vertebrae. But for women with a history of breast cancer and men who’ve had a bout with prostate cancer, it’s possible that the cancer has metastasized, or spread, to the spine.
If you suddenly feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your spine that you haven’t felt before and you have a history of cancer, it’s essential you see your doctor immediately. A sudden loss of bladder or bowel control is another sign of bone cancer.
Unfortunately, half of women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer initially discover that they have cancer only after it has already spread to other parts of the body, including the spine. Primary cancers that originate in the bone and haven’t spread from another part of the body are rare; most are benign. However, bone cancer that has metastasized from a tumor elsewhere in the body is usually malignant, since it has spread from a tumor that is already malignant.
Sometimes a tumor that spreads to the vertebrae will press against the spine and its connecting nerves, which may cause you to lose the use of your limbs or control of your sphincter muscles. Though these symptoms are severe, I have seen only two people with this condition in the last five years.
Treatment
Your doctor or oncologist may prefer to treat a malignant tumor in a vertebra with chemotherapy, since any surgery involving the spine—especially removing a portion of it—may result in paralysis or another neurological disorder. Radiation therapy may also be used. However, if the pain in your spine has appeared recently and suddenly, surgery can be the best form of treatment, since it can reverse any damage to the nerves before it becomes permanent.
As with any form of cancer, early detection is the best way to prevent it from spreading to the spine or any other part of the body. See your doctor for regular checkups, and stay alert to any small changes in your body that could signal cancer.
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