Cancer Type
Bone Cancer(sarcoma)
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Bone cancer is when unusual cells grow out of control in your bone. It destroys normal bone tissue. It may start in your bone or spread there from other parts of your body (called metastasis).
Bone cancer is rare. Most bone tumors are benign, which means they aren’t cancer and don’t spread to other areas of your body. But they may still weaken your bones and lead to broken bones or other problems. There are a few common types of benign bone tumors:
- Osteochondroma is the most common. It often happens in people under age 20.
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Risk Factor.
Things that might make you more likely to get bone cancer include:
- Cancer treatment. Bone tumors happen more often in people who’ve had radiation, stem cell transplants, or certain chemotherapy drugs for other cancers.
- Inherited conditions. Diseases passed down through your genes, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome and an eye cancer called retinoblastoma, can make you more likely to get bone cancer.
- Paget’s disease of bone. This benign bone condition may also increase your odds.
Symptoms.
You may not notice symptoms of a bone tumor, whether it's cancer or not. Your doctor might find it when they look at an X-ray of another problem, such as a sprain. But symptoms can include pain that:
- Is in the area of the tumor
- Is dull or achy
- Gets worse with activity
- Wakes you at night
An injury won’t cause a bone tumor.
Diagnosis.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history and do a physical exam. They’ll look at pictures of your bones through imaging tests such as:
- X-rays. These show tumors and how big they are.
- CT scans. A computer uses X-rays to make more detailed pictures.
- MRI scans. These use a strong magnet to show inside your body.
- PET scans. A technician injects radioactive glucose (sugar
Treatment.
If you have a benign tumor, your doctor will treat it with medication or might just watch it for changes. They may take out benign tumors that are more likely to spread or become cancer. In some cases, tumors come back, even after treatment.
Cancerous tumors need stronger treatment and care from a number of specialists. Your treatment will depend on several things including how far it’s spread, which experts use to determine its stage. Cancer cells that are only in the bone tumor and the surrounding area are at a “localized” stage. Those that spread to or from other areas of your body are more serious and harder to treat.
Common treatments for bone cancer include:
Limb salvage surgery. Your doctor removes the part of the bone with cancer but not nearby muscles, tendons, or other tissues. They put a metallic implant in place of the bone.
Amputation. If a tumor is large or reaches your nerves and blood vessels, your doctor might remove the limb. You m