Perchloroethylene exposure can wreak havoc on the spinal cord and the nerve bundles within it
The lifetime risk of developing spinal cancer is 1 in 140 for men and 1 in 180 for women. Although the disease is rare, children and the elderly are more likely to struggle with it.
Spinal tumors may cause severe pain, neurological problems, and paralysis. It is essential to note that a spinal tumor can lead to permanent disability and eventually be fatal.
Between 2% and 4% of brain tumors start in the spinal cord. While a tumor that develops within the spinal cord or its covering is referred to as intradural, a growth starting in the spine's bones is called vertebral.
The following hereditary syndromes can significantly increase a person's risk of spinal cancer:
- Turcot syndrome
- neurofibromatosis
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- tuberous sclerosis
- Gorlin syndrome
- von Hippel-Lindau disease
Perhaps the key symptom of spinal cancer is pain in the area of the tumor, which intensifies at night or with movement. Several risk factors for spinal cancer have been identified so far, including a history of breast, lung, or prostate cancer, radiation exposure, a weak immune system, and chemical exposure. According to medical studies, exposure to some of the solvents that lurked in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune during the last century might be responsible for spinal cancer. The following solvents were found to have a significant association with spinal cancer:
- perchloroethylene
- trichloroethylene
- vinyl chloride
Exposure to these harmful chemicals may cause neurotoxicity, which can ultimately progress to cancer. Neurotoxicity can also weaken the immune system to a great extent, which makes veterans considerably more vulnerable to spinal cancer. It occurs when exposure to toxic substances alters the normal activity of the nervous system. This can subsequently disrupt or even kill neurons, which are essential for transmitting and processing signals in the brain and other parts of the nervous system. By disrupting the nerve bundles in the spine, industrial solvents can take a heavy toll on cell structure and DNA, leading to the growth of malignant tumors.
