Radiation Therapy Treatment in Pasadena & Los Angeles
At Pasadena CyberKnife, our mission is simple: help our patients beat cancer on their own terms and get back to living the normal, healthy life they deserve. As a leading cancer treatment center serving the Pasadena and greater Los Angeles area, we’re proud to provide cutting-edge radiation therapy and cancer treatments for virtually any form of cancer, and we strive to make cancer treatment fit into the lifestyles of our patients. If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed with spinal cancer, we can help.
About Spinal Cancer
As the name suggest, spinal cancer refers to any cancerous growth in the spinal cord or the structures surrounding it. The cancer may grow out of the bones of the vertebrae, the discs between them, or from the nerve cells of the spinal cord itself. While cancer can develop in the spine on its own, most spinal tumors are metastatic tumors – cancer that has spread from another part of the body. Metastatic tumors tend to be more aggressive than primary spinal tumors, but the cancer may grow quickly or slowly depending on the specifics of the condition.
Symptoms of Spinal Cancer
Spinal cancer symptoms vary greatly from patient to patient. The symptoms depend entirely on the type of cancer, how aggressively it grows, how large it becomes, and where it is on the spine. Symptoms may arise from cancerous nerve cells within the spine or from the tumor exerting pressure on the spinal cord – however, when symptoms do arise due to problems with the spinal cord, they can be quite serious.
The spinal cord is the body’s information superhighway: it’s the primary link between the brain and the rest of the body, and it is the channel through which virtually all nerve signals pass between brain and body. Accordingly, symptoms of spinal cancer may affect almost any part of the body, depending on where the tumor is located. Some possible symptoms of spinal tumors include:
- Pain in either the back or the extremities
- Weakness or numbness of muscles
- Coordination problems
- Difficulty urinating
- Bowel issues
- Paralysis
Schedule a Consultation with Your Pasadena Cancer Center
Even slow-growing spinal tumors can be serious, so if you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed, it’s important to seek treatment as quickly as possible. At Pasadena CyberKnife, we may be able to use noninvasive radiation therapy treatments like CyberKnife to treat spinal tumors, which can prevent the difficulty often associated with surgical removal. Contact us today to learn more about treatment and schedule your consultation. We look forward to helping you beat cancer and move towards whole-body health.