“What is Bone Cancer?”

Bone cancer is a growth of cells that starts in a bone. It can develop in any bone, but most often affects the thighbone.

The term "bone cancer" refers specifically to cancer that originates in the bone itself. It does not include cancers that begin elsewhere in the body and then spread (metastasize) to the bones. For example, lung cancer that spreads to the bones is still considered lung cancer that has metastasized.

Bone cancer is rare and includes different types, some of which mostly affect children while others are more common in adults.

Bone Cancer Treatment in Nanakramguda, Hyderabad involves specialized care tailored to the specific type and stage of cancer. Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of these methods to remove or control the tumor and preserve bone function.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of bone cancer include:

• Bone pain.
• Swelling and tenderness near the affected area.
• Weakened bone, which can lead to a broken bone.
• Feeling very tired.
• Losing weight without trying.

Causes

The cause of most bone cancers isn't known. Bone cancer starts when cells in or near a bone develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA holds the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA gives instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions tell the cells to die at a set time. In cancer cells, the DNA changes give different instructions. The changes tell the cancer cells to make many more cells quickly. Cancer cells can keep living when healthy cells would die. This causes too many cells.

The cancer cells might form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. In time, cancer cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it's called metastatic cancer.

Types of bone cancer

Bones contain a variety of different types of cells. Bone cancers are broken down into separate types, often based on the type of cell where the cancer began. The most common types of bone cancer include:

Types of Bone Cancer

Osteosarcoma: Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form bones. It's the most common type of bone cancer. Osteosarcoma tends to happen most often in teenagers and young adults, but it can also occur in younger children and older adults. Osteosarcoma most often affects the long bones of the legs and sometimes the arms. Very rarely, it occurs in soft tissue outside the bone.

Chondrosarcoma: Chondrosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that usually begins in the bones but can sometimes occur in the soft tissue. Chondrosarcoma most often occurs in the pelvis, hip, and shoulder, and it typically affects middle-aged and older adults.

Ewing Sarcoma: Ewing sarcoma is a type of bone cancer that begins in the bones and the soft tissue around the bones. Ewing sarcoma primarily affects children and young adults, although it can occur at any age. It most often begins in the leg bones and pelvis, but it can happen in any bone.

Risk factors

Things that increase the risk of bone cancer include:

• Inherited genetic syndromes: Certain rare genetic syndromes passed through families increase the risk of bone cancer. Examples include Li-Fraumeni syndrome and hereditary retinoblastoma.
• Other bone conditions: Some other bone conditions may increase the risk of bone cancer. These conditions include Paget's disease of bone and fibrous dysplasia.
• Cancer treatment: Radiation therapy for cancer and some kinds of chemotherapy medicines used to treat cancer may increase the risk of bone cancer.

Healthcare professionals haven't found any ways to prevent bone cancer.

Types of Benign Bone Tumors

Benign tumors are more common than malignant ones. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the most common type of benign bone tumor is an osteochondroma. This type accounts for between 35 and 40 percent of all benign bone tumors. Osteochondromas develop in adolescents and teenagers.

These tumors form near the actively growing ends of long bones, such as arm or leg bones. Specifically, these tumors tend to affect the lower end of the thighbone (femur), the upper end of the lower leg bone (tibia), and the upper end of the upper arm bone (humerus).

These tumors are made of bone and cartilage. Osteochondromas have been considered to be an abnormality of growth. A child may develop a single osteochondroma or many of them.

• Nonossifying fibroma unicameral: Nonossifying fibroma unicameral is a simple solitary bone cyst. It’s the only true cyst of bone. It’s usually found in the leg and occurs most often in children and adolescents.
• Giant cell tumors: Giant cell tumors grow aggressively. They occur in adults and are found in the rounded end of the bone, not in the growth plate. These are very rare tumors.
• Enchondroma: An enchondroma is a cartilage cyst that grows inside the bone marrow. When they occur, they begin in children and persist into adulthood. They tend to be part of syndromes called Ollier’s and Mafucci’s syndrome. Enchondromas occur in the hands and feet as well as the long bones of the arm and thigh.
• Fibrous dysplasia: Fibrous dysplasia is a gene mutation that makes bones fibrous and vulnerable to fracture.
• Aneurysmal bone cyst: An aneurysmal bone cyst is an abnormality of blood vessels that begins in the bone marrow. It can grow rapidly and can be particularly destructive because it affects growth plates.