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This will depend very much on two factors. Firstly, the nature of the underlying condition and secondly, the presence of major paralysis. The degree to which treatment has been effective is important and is easier to assess in the case of benign tumours. In malignant tumours, where treatment is sometimes less effective, the long-term outlook depends on the type of cancer and the extent to which it has spread.

The spinal cord and nerves are slow to recover if severely compressed or badly damaged.The longer complete paralysis has been present, the less likely recovery becomes.

The underlying condition
With a benign tumour, it is often possible to achieve complete removal. It may also be possible to completely remove malignant primary tumours.This gives a good chance of cure with a rather small risk of the tumour recurring. At the other end of the spectrum, a secondary deposit from a cancer elsewhere in the body will be difficult to cure.The long-term outlook will depend on the type of the original cancer, the degree of spread and the success in treating secondary deposits in the spine.The specialist team dealing with the primary cancer will often take on the follow-up and treatment of a spinal secondary tumour.