True Bone Cancer - A Rare type Of Malignancy!

INTRODUCTION: True bone cancer (aka primary bone cancer) affects over 2,000 people in the United States each year. Cancer that originates in the bone - primary bone cancer - is rare. Early diagnosis and treatment of this disease increases the likelihood of survival. Children and young people are more likely than adults to develop cancer of the bones. In the past, amputation was common for bone cancer in an arm or leg.

CAUSE: Often, when people have bone cancer, it is caused by cancer that has metastasized ( spread ) from another place in the body to the bones rather than true cancer of bone cells.

TYPES: There are more than 100 types of cancer, and each type is named for the organ or tissue in which it begins. Certain types of cancers are particularly likely to spread to the bones. It is important to note that when these other types of cancer spread to the bone, they are still named for the tissue or organ where they arose and are not termed “bone” cancer.

Many different kinds of cancer are able to spread to the bones. The most common kinds of cancer that spread to the bones are lung, breast, prostate, thyroid, as well as kidney.

There are several types of sarcomas of the bone, depending upon the kind of bone tissue where the tumor developed. The most common types of primary bone cancer are osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. Other, more rare types include fibrosarcoma, malignant giant cell tumor, and chordoma.

SYMPTOMS: The symptoms of malignancy of the bone tend to occur slowly and depend on the form, location, and size of the tumor. Pain is the most frequent symptom of this malignancy and physicians sometimes use radiation therapy to shrink tumors to diminish the pressure, pain and other symptoms they may cause.

TREATMENT: Treatment depends on the kind of bone cancer, as well as its location, size and stage. It can involve chemotherapy with multiple drugs as well as radiation therapy and surgery to eliminate the primary tumor.

Treating it after it has spread to the bones (metastatic cancer) depends on the kind of cancer (the tissue where it began) and the extent of the spread. As with other forms, treatment is based on the size, type, location and stage of the cancer, including whether it has spread to the lungs or other organs of your body, and your basic health.

Your M.D. may suggest using radiation therapy on different occasions during your treatment and for different reasons, such as prior to surgery to shrink a cancerous tumor or after surgery to stop the growth of any remaining cancerous cells.

A well-coordinated group of doctors - including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, plus physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists who have knowledge about treating sarcomas - is absolutely necessary for increasing the chance you’ll be able to have limb-sparing treatment. In some instances, chemotherapy may be the only treatment that’s needed. More often, doctors use it along with other treatments, such as surgery or radiation, for improve results.

CONCLUSION: In contrast to cancers which have spread to the bone, true bone cancers are tumors that arise from the tissues of the bones. These cancers, called primary bone cancers, are quite rare in comparison to cancers that have spread to the bones.

Pain is the most frequent symptom of bone cancer, but sometimes a lump on the bone can be felt through the skin. It is much less common to have a true bone cancer, a cancer that arises from cells that make up the bone.

The treatment and prognosis of the disease depends upon multiple factors including the type and extent of the cancer, the patient’s age and overall health status. Bone cancer may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these.

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