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Bone cancer is a malignant growth that can be found in any part of the bone, in any bone of the body. The cancer may originate in the bone itself (primary bone cancer) or - more commonly - it may be a result of a cancer that has spread (metastasized) from elsewhere in the body (secondary bone cancer).
Bone cancer is a growth found in any part of the bone. Most bone cancers are called sarcomas, cancers that develop predominantly from bone, cartilage, muscle, fibrous tissue, fatty tissue, or nerve tissue. Bone cancer originating in the bone itself is known as primary bone cancer, and may be malignant (cancerous) or benign.
Types of Bone Cancer
Primary Bone Cancers: - Osteosarcoma - The most common type of primary bone cancer, osteosarcoma, develops in new tissue of growing bones, particularly the knees, upper legs, upper arms, often spreading to other parts of the body before it causes any symptoms. This cancer affects children and young people between the ages of 10 and 25. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness most commonly above or below the knee.
- Ewing's Sarcoma - Ewing's sarcoma begins in immature nerve tissue in the bone marrow of the body's large bones: the pelvis, upper legs, ribs and arms, and can spread to other parts of the body at an early stage. Like osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma most frequently affects children and young adults. Here, too, symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness; the weakened bone is also more prone to fracture.
- Chondrosarcoma - Chondrosarcoma arises in the cartilage (soft connective tissue) of the pelvis, upper legs and shoulders. This type of malignancy most frequently affects adults over the age of 50, and may develop from a prior benign tumor. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness. Unlike the above cancers, chondrosarcoma tumors grow slowly and do not immediately spread to other parts of the body.
Secondary Bone Cancer:- Secondary or metatstatic bone cancer spreads from a primary site to elsewhere in the body. It is more common than primary bone cancer and usually occurs later in life. Cancers that tend to spread rapidly to bone include those of the breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, and kidney. Symptoms include bone pain, primarily occurring at night, and bones that easily fracture.
Risk Factors
Primary bone cancers occur more frequently in children and young adults, particularly in those who have had radiation or chemotherapy treatments for other conditions.
Signs & Symptoms
As bone tumors grow, they compress, absorb or replace healthy bone tissue with abnormal tissue, causing a number of symptoms, including bone pain, swelling, and bone weakness.
Pain is the most common symptom of bone cancer, often the result of weakening bones or a tumor that invades bone or presses against nerves or other tissues. Swelling and tenderness in or near joints is also common. Frequent fractures may be an indication of cancer, as bones weakened by tumors are more susceptible to injury. Symptoms may also include fatigue, fever, weight loss, and anemia (loss of oxygen-carrying red blood cells). All of these symptoms can mimic those of other less serious conditions, so it is important to confirm them with your doctor.
Treatment & Prevention
Conventional approaches to control bone pain include analgesics (to relieve pain) with treatments that kill cancer cells (chemotherapy or radiation therapy), slow their growth (hormonal therapy), or reduce bone damage (bisphosphonates).
Bisphosphonates are a newer type of drug that has proved to be very successful in relieving the bone pain caused by bone cancer. Cancer cells stimulate bone destruction which in turn releases cytokines or growth factors that stimulate cancer cell growth. Also, in many types of bone cancer, abnormally high levels of osteoclasts lead old bone to break down faster than new bone can be formed. This malfunction leads to a number of problems, including bone pain and the weakening of bones. Bisphosphonates work by inhibiting the activity of the bone-destroying osteoclast cells. Some researchers have even shown that bisphosphonates can shrink or prevent metastatic tumors, although more research is needed in this area. Bisphosphonates may be taken orally or given intravenously. Intravenous use is most common, as these drugs are difficult for the digestive system to absorb and they may cause irritation and ulcers in the esophagus when taken orally. IV bisphosphonates are also more potent than the oral bisphosphonates and generally have a quick infusion time (sometimes in as little as 15 minutes). Researchers have found that the more potent the dose and the earlier the patient begins bisphosphonate therapy, the better the outcome.
Patients generally receive a combination of therapies judged most likely to be effective by a doctor. Many therapies have a palliative function (meant to relieve pain and other symptoms) rather than a curative (meant to cure cancer) function, though doctors may attempt to cure primary bone cancer in some patients. Thanks to the many successful treatment methods for bone pain caused by cancer, most patients will feel little to no pain from bone cancer.
Depending on the therapy used, side-effects vary. Many different drugs or drug combinations can be used to treat bone pain caused by bone cancer. These drugs may be used in combination with surgery, radiation, and other treatments which can affect the way the body handles medication, as well as cause their own side-effects.
Prognosis
Treatments for bone cancer are increasingly successful; even for the more aggressive cancers, survival rates are improving considerably.
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of Bone Cancer: | | | | | Symptoms - Skeletal |  (Severe) diffuse bone pain | Diffuse bone pain can be caused by a diffuse cancer. Pain usually results when a tumor pushes on bones, nerves, or other organs in the body. |
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Bone Cancer suggests the following may be present:
Recommendations and treatments for Bone Cancer:
KEY | | Strong or generally accepted link |  | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Anemia (Anaemia, Anemias)
A condition resulting from an unusually low number of red blood cells or too little hemoglobin in the red blood cells. The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia in which the red blood cells are reduced in size and number, and hemoglobin levels are low. Clinical symptoms include shortness of breath, lethargy and heart palpitations.
Benign
Literally: innocent; not malignant. Often used to refer to cells that are not cancerous; they tend to grow slowly and don't spread (metastasize) like cancer tumors do.
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
Cartilage
Specialized fibrous connective tissue that forms the skeleton of an embryo and much of the skeleton in an infant. As the child grows, the cartilage becomes bone. In adults, cartilage is present in and around joints and makes up the primary skeletal structure in some parts of the body, such as the ears and the tip of the nose.
Chemotherapy
A treatment of disease by any chemicals. Used most often to refer to the chemical treatments used to combat cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection into a blood vessel (IV); some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Usually, a patient has chemotherapy as an outpatient (at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.
Cytokines (Cytokine, TH1, TH2)
Cytokines are chemical messengers that control immune responses. They are secreted by white blood cells, T cells, epithelial cells and some other body cells. There are at least 17 different kinds of interleuken and 3 classes of interferon called alpha, beta and gamma and various subsets. Interleukens and interferons are called “cytokines” and there are two general groupings, Th1 and Th2. Th1 (T-cell Helper type 1) promote cell-mediated immunity (CMI) while Th2 (T-cell Helper type 2) induce humoral immunity (antibodies).
Esophagus (Esophageal)
Commonly called the "food pipe", it is a narrow muscular tube, about nine and a half inches long, that begins below the tongue and ends at the stomach. It consists of an outer layer of fibrous tissue, a middle layer containing smoother muscle, and an inner membrane, which contains numerous tiny glands. It has muscular sphincters at both its upper and lower ends. The upper sphincter relaxes to allow passage of swallowed food that is then propelled down the esophagus into the stomach by the wave-like peristaltic contractions of the esophageal muscles. There is no protective mucosal layer, so problems can arise when digestive acids reflux into the esophagus from the stomach.
Fibrous Tissue
The tissue that forms tendons and ligaments.
Intravenous Infusion (IV)
A small needle placed in the vein to assist in fluid replacement or the giving of medication.
Kidneys (Kidney, Renal)
Bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines, each day handling about 50 gallons of blood to sift out about half a gallon of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The actual filtering occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Every kidney has about a million nephrons. In a nephron, a glomerulus -- which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary -- intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave your blood and enter your urinary system. The kidneys recycle chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and thus regulate their levels. Renal: Pertaining to the kidneys.
Lung (Lungs, Pulmonary)
Organ of the body, located in the chest cavity which is designed to bring oxygen from the air into the blood stream, while also expelling carbon dioxide and other waste gases out of the body. Pulmonary: Related to the lungs.
Malignant (Cancerous)
Dangerous. Mainly used to describe a cancerous growth -- when used this way, it means the growth is cancerous and predisposed to spreading.
Metastasize (Metastases, Metastasized, Metastasizes, Metastasizing, Metastatic)
Usually in reference to cancer: to spread, especially destructively.
Palliative (Palliate, Palliates)
Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure.
Pelvis
The lower part of the abdomen between the hip bones. Organs in a woman's pelvis include the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder and rectum.
Prostate
The prostate gland in men that surrounds the neck of the bladder and the urethra and produces a secretion that liquefies coagulated semen.
Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy)
The use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment with radiation may be given alone or with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is local therapy; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area. External radiation does not cause the body to become radioactive. Most often, treatment is given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic.
Red Blood Cell (Erythrocyte, Erythrocytes, RBC, Red Blood Cells)
Any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of blood.
Thyroid (Thyroid Gland)
The thyroid gland is an organ with many veins, anchored around the front of the throat near the voice box. It is essential to normal body growth in infancy and childhood. It absorbs iodine from the diet and releases thyroid hormones - iodine-containing compounds that help govern the rate of the body's metabolism (its total life processes), affecting body temperature, and regulating protein, fat and carbohydrate catabolism in all cells. They keep up growth hormone release, skeletal maturation, and heart rate, force, and output. They promote central nervous system growth, stimulate the making of many enzymes, and are necessary for muscle tone and vigor. To a high degree, metabolism is regulated by the hormone thyroxine, which can be made by the thyroid if enough organic iodine is available. An enlarged thyroid gland that is not cancer is sometimes called goitre.
Tumor (Tumors, Tumour, Tumours)
An abnormal growth of tissue resulting from uncontrolled, progressive multiplication of cells and serving no physiological function; a neoplasm. Literally, a swelling; in the past the term has been used in reference to any swelling of the body, no matter what the cause. However, the word is now being used almost exclusively to refer to a neoplastic mass, and the more general usage is being discarded.
Ulcer (Ulceration, Ulcers)
Lesion on the skin or mucous membrane.
Last updated: Jun 28, 2008
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