Neck pain from a tumor might explain symptoms that are not related to a spinal issue, muscular pathology or injury. Tumors come in various types and are not inherently dangerous. However, when tumors exist in the neck, they should always be carefully evaluated and treated, as necessary.
Can a tumor that exists outside of the immediate neck anatomy also cause neck pain? This is another very important question to answer and we will do just that during the course of this focused post.
This discussion centers on the relationship between tumors and neck symptoms. We will discuss cancer, non-cancerous tumors and even times when neck pain may be present with a tumor elsewhere in the body.
Neck Pain from a Tumor that is Non-Cancerous
Non-cancerous tumors can exist in the neck and may be caused by various source processes. Just because a tumor in not cancer does not mean that it is harmless. Non-cancerous tumors can still cause major problems and can even kill when they grow in and on select areas of the anatomy.
The neck is a small and extremely vital region, filled with many important bodily components, including the spine, windpipe, glandular tissues and major blood vessels. A non-cancerous tumor might affect any of these crucial structures and potentially cause serious consequences, including neck pain.
Although all non-cancerous tumors should be evaluated and treated by an expert, at least the patient does not have to worry about the possibility of the tumor spreading by means of metastasis.
Neck Pain from a Cancerous Tumor
Cancer in the neck might form tumors on the spinal structures, in the throat, in the glandular tissue or elsewhere in the neck. Common types of neck cancer include cancer of the larynx, spine, thyroid and skin. All of these cancers can involve tumor formation in and around the neck.
Cancer is a malignant neoplastic process that not only damages the body locally, but can also spread to other locations through metastasis. Since the neck contains glandular, lymph, nerve and vascular tissue, tumors have many opportunities to spread locally or systemically when located in the neck. This makes tumors in this region particularly dangerous to their host.
It should be noted that tumors in the neck might not cause pain directly, but may create pain in the glandular and lymphatic tissues in the neck anatomy instead. Cancer tends to provoke powerful immune response and this is often a warning sign that something is wrong, even when the cancer itself is not yet causing palpable symptoms.
Pain from a Tumor Outside the Neck Region
Even when a tumor exists outside the immediate neck region, the patient may still suffer related pain in the lymphatic or glandular tissues of the neck. As mentioned above, inflammation and pain in these tissues is what leads many patients to investigate their cause and the cancer is subsequently located during diagnostic evaluation.
Large powerful cancers and those which have metastasized or are currently metastasizing often cause widespread symptoms in certain systems, such as glandular and lymphatic tissues through many areas of the body. These reactions are part of our immune system response to the neoplasm. Since many of these tissues exist in and around the neck, neck pain and swelling are often some of the first signs that something is undeniably wrong.
