What are spinal cord tumors?

Also known as: intramedullary tumors, extramedullary tumors, metastatic tumors

If a tumor grows within (~ 10%), in the tissues around, or spreads from a different site to the spinal cord region, it is known as a spinal cord tumor. They are less common than brain tumors and tend to occur in older children and adolescents. Many of the tumors that start in the spinal cord begin in its surrounding tissues. (e.g meningiomas, ependymomas etc). Less commonly they start in cells in the spinal cord.

Often tumors from other parts of the body spread to the spinal cord. If the tumor starts in the cells around the spinal cord, it’s known as Extramedullary. Tumors that grow in the spinal cord are called Intramedullary.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM