Spine cancer treatment sometimes involves surgery to remove the cancerous tumour in the spinal canal. This procedure is used to diagnose stage and treat cancer, and to manage certain cancer-related symptoms.

A small number of spinal tumors occur in the nerves of the spinal cord itself. Tumors that start in spinal tissue are called primary spinal tumors. Tumors that spread to the spine from some other place (metastasis) are called secondary spinal tumors. The cause of primary spinal tumors is unknown. The decision to perform spinal cancer surgeries is based on various factors such as the type, size, location, grade and stage of the tumor, general health of the patient, age, physical fitness and other coexisting medical conditions.

This surgery is in combination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy as the case may be. When the tumor is limited only to one portion of the spinal column, a surgery is performed to completely remove the cancer. Minimal surgeries are performed in metastatic cancers (wide spread cancer) to relieve symptoms such as removal of accumulated cerebrospinal fluid due to the presence of tumor.

Spinal cancer treatment involves surgery. The surgical strategies are similar to that of for brain tumors. The goal of spinal cancer surgery depends on several factors, including the location and grade of the tumor, and the symptoms present.

When the tumor is limited only to one portion of the spinal column completely remove of the cancerours tumor is opted for. For metastatic spinal tumors, minimum surgery necessary to relieve symptoms is required.

The treatment for the removal of the tumor is a laminectomy (removal of the bone). It also involves a radical or gross total resection of the tumor. Biopsy of these tumors is could also be performed if the differential diagnosis is yet to be determined and confirmation is required. Spine cancer surgeries are performed by onco-spine specialists. The general steps include the retraction of the tumor. The surgical approach is based on location of the tumor. The procedure is conducted under the radio-imaging techniques. The surgeon carries out the laminectomy wherein then part of lamina bone is reached with the help of radio-imaging techniques with minimal incision. The tumor is retracted and removed. The surrounding healthy tissues are also scrapped and removed. The patient may receive radiation or chemotherapy or combination before surgery to shirk the tumor so that it can be easily removed.