Signs and symptoms

 

Pain is the most common bone cancer symptom. Although bone cancer can arise in any of your bones, it most frequently occurs in the long bones of your arms and legs.

Other possible symptoms and signs of bone cancer include:

Weakened bones, sometimes leading to fractures Joint swelling and tenderness (for tumors in or near joints) Fatigue Fever Unintended weight loss Anemia

 

Causes

 

Primary bone cancer is different from secondary or metastatic bone cancer. In secondary or metastatic bone cancer, the cancer originates in a different place but spreads (metastasizes) to the bones. For example, someone with prostate cancer may develop bone lesions from the prostate cancer. But, even though the cancer has spread to the bone, it's still prostate cancer.

Metastatic bone cancer is much more common than is primary bone cancer. Additionally, primary bone cancer doesn't refer to cancer that begins in the bone marrow — the soft inner core of your bones that makes your blood cells. Bone marrow cancers include diseases such as multiple myeloma and acute and chronic leukemias.

In general, no one knows for certain what causes most primary bone cancers. Adults with Paget's disease of bone, which involves abnormal development of new bone cells, may be at increased risk of osteosarcoma.

In a few cases, bone cancers may have a hereditary component, such as in:

Li-Fraumeni syndrome. This condition is characterized by an increased risk of many different cancers, including osteosarcoma, breast cancer, brain cancer and others. Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. This condition causes short stature, skeletal problems and rashes, and increases risk of bone cancer. Hereditary retinoblastoma. Children with this rare cancer of the eye have an increased risk of osteosarcoma. Multiple exostoses. Children with this inherited condition that causes cartilage bumps to form on your bones have an increased risk of chondrosarcoma.

The association with radiation
Radiation is occasionally associated with bone cancer. Exposure to radiation from a diagnostic X-ray won't harm you. But heavy doses of radiation, such as radiation therapy given for other cancers, can increase your risk of developing bone cancer, especially if you receive the therapy at a young age.

Still, radiation therapy is becoming more and more sophisticated, which may lead to fewer of such side effects. For example, doctors today are better able to regulate doses of radiation and more precisely target the tumor being treated.

 

When to seek medical advice

 

Talk to your doctor if you develop signs or symptoms that may indicate bone cancer, such as unexplained bone pain. Having bone pain doesn't necessarily mean you have bone cancer. Bone pain is more likely due to injuries or arthritis. And bone tumors are often noncancerous (benign). However, the only way to determine whether a tumor is cancerous is for a doctor to examine a sample of the tissue.

 

Screening and diagnosis

 

If your doctor suspects you have bone cancer, he or she will take a medical history and perform a physical exam. In addition, the following tests help in diagnosing bone cancer:

Imaging tests. Tests such as X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enable your doctor to evaluate the area of concern.Bone scan. Your doctor may also request a bone scan, a procedure in which you're injected with a tiny amount of radioactive material, called a tracer, which can be detected by a special camera used to create images of your bones.

Examining a tissue sample
Determining whether a tumor is malignant requires removal of a sample of tissue (biopsy) from the tumor for examination. If your doctor suspects you have bone cancer, ask for a referral to a cancer center that specializes in bone cancer before the biopsy is performed. Treatment of bone cancer requires a specialized team who work together to treat bone cancer. This team includes a medical oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, radiation oncologist and physical therapist.

Techniques for removing a sample of a suspected bone cancer include:

Needle biopsy. Your doctor uses a thin needle to remove small pieces of tissue from the tumor. There are two types of needle biopsy — fine-needle aspiration and core biopsy. A core biopsy involves using a slightly larger needle to remove a small, solid core of tissue. Surgical biopsy. Your doctor makes an incision through your skin and removes either the entire tumor (excisional biopsy) or a portion of the tumor (incisional biopsy). In some cases you may need only local anesthesia. For a larger or deep-seated tumor, you'll likely require general anesthesia for the procedure. It's important that a doctor experienced in the treatment of sarcomas perform the excisional biopsy.

Grading and staging
Besides determining whether the tissue is cancerous, examining tissue can determine how aggressive the cancer is (its grade). Further testing, such as scans and blood tests, will determine if the cancer has spread and how far (its stage).

Childhood bone cancers, such as osteosarcoma or Ewing's sarcoma, are generally grouped into two stages, depending on whether the cancer is contained in one part of the body (localized) or has spread to other parts (metastasized).

Survival is based on a number of factors, including the type of cancer, at what stage the cancer was discovered and where the tumor is located. If the tumor is very small and localized, the prognosis is generally more promising than if the cancer has begun to spread.

 

Complications

 

The complications of bone cancer may include weakened bones and bone fractures. If the cancer spreads to other organs, complications include dysfunction of the affected organ, such as shortness of breath if it spreads to your lungs.

 

Treatment

 

As with other cancers, bone cancer treatment depends on the size, type, location and stage of the cancer, including whether it has spread to the lungs or other parts of your body, and your overall health.

Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment for bone cancer. Surgery for cancer that hasn't spread involves removing the cancer and a rim of healthy bone surrounding it.

In the past, amputation was common for bone cancer in an arm or leg. Today, advances in surgical techniques and chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) or after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) and radiation therapy make limb-sparing surgery possible in many cases. With osteosarcoma, limb-sparing surgery involves replacing the cancerous bone with an artificial device (prosthesis) or bone from another part of your body or from another person (transplant).

A well-coordinated team of doctors — including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists who are familiar with treatment of sarcomas — is important for increasing the chance you'll be able to have limb-sparing treatment. Specialized centers for treatment of sarcoma exist in many areas.

If osteosarcoma spreads, treatment may involve surgical removal of both the bone tumor and the metastasized cancer.

Ewing's sarcoma has a tendency to metastasize rapidly. Treatment may involve chemotherapy with multiple drugs as well as radiation therapy and surgery to remove the primary tumor.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy — also called radiotherapy or X-ray therapy — involves treating cancer with beams of high-energy particles, or waves (radiation), such as gamma rays or X-rays. Although radiation can affect healthy cells as well as cancer cells, it's much more harmful to cancer cells. In addition, normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation more easily than cancer cells can.

Many people with cancer undergo some type of radiation therapy. Your doctor may suggest using radiation therapy at different times during your cancer treatment and for different reasons, such as before surgery to shrink a cancerous tumor or after surgery to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells. Radiation may also be used at the same time as chemotherapy. In addition, doctors sometimes use radiation therapy to shrink tumors to decrease the pressure, pain or other symptoms they may cause.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses medications to kill rapidly dividing cells. These cells include cancer cells, which continuously divide to form more cells, and healthy cells that divide quickly, such as those in your bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system and hair follicles. Healthy cells usually recover shortly after chemotherapy is complete — so, for example, your hair soon starts growing again.

Unlike radiation therapy, which treats only the part of your body exposed to the radiation, chemotherapy treats the body as a whole (systemically). Its purpose is to treat cells that may have escaped from where the cancer originated.

Depending on the type of cancer you have and whether it has spread, your doctor may use chemotherapy to:

Shrink the cancer prior to an operation, making the operation easierEliminate all cancer cells in your body, even when cancer is widespreadProlong your life by controlling cancer growth and spreadRelieve symptoms and enhance your quality of life

In some cases, chemotherapy may be the only treatment you need. More often, doctors use it in conjunction with other treatments, such as surgery or radiation, to improve results.

 

Coping skills

 

A diagnosis of cancer, whether yours or your child's, presents big challenges. Remember that no matter what your concerns or the prognosis, there are resources and strategies that may make dealing with cancer easier. Here are some suggestions for coping:

Learn all you can. Find out everything you can about your or your child's cancer — the type, stage and risks involved and your treatment options and their side effects. The more you know, the more you can participate in treatment decisions. In addition to talking with your doctor, look for information in your local library and from reliable Internet sources.

The National Cancer Institute answers questions from the public over the phone at 800-4-CANCER, or 800-422-6237. Or contact the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345, or 800-227-2345.

Be proactive. Although you may feel tired and discouraged, don't let others — including your family and your doctor — make important decisions for you. It's vital that you take an active role in your own or your child's treatment.

Maintain a strong support system. Having a support system and a positive attitude can help you cope with the challenges cancer brings. Although friends and family can be your best allies, they sometimes may have trouble dealing with the illness of a loved one. If so, the concern and understanding of a formal support group or of others coping with their own cancer or that of their child can be especially helpful.

Although support groups aren't for everyone, they can be a good source for practical information for you and your family, too. You may also develop deep and lasting bonds with people who are going through the same things you are.

Maintain hope. Although your hopes may change as you go through a cancer diagnosis and treatment, it's important to have hope. For example, when you first hear the diagnosis, you may hope that there's been a mistake. Once you accept the diagnosis, you'll hope for a good result from treatment.

One way to maintain hope is to set goals. Having goals helps you feel in control and can give you a sense of purpose. But don't choose goals you can't possibly reach. You may not be able work a 40-hour week, for example, but you may be able to work part time. In fact, many people find that continuing to work and engage in everyday activities can be helpful.

Take time for yourself. Eating well, relaxing and getting enough rest can help combat the stress and fatigue of cancer. Also, plan ahead for the times when you may need to rest more or limit what you do. If your child has cancer, one of the most important things you can do is take care of yourself. As a caregiver, you need to have the strength and emotional reserves to meet your child's needs. Stay active. Having cancer doesn't mean you have to stop doing the things you enjoy or normally do. For the most part, if you feel well enough to do something, go ahead and do it. It's important to stay involved as much as you can. If your child has cancer, try to keep his or her life as normal as possible. Look for a connection to something beyond yourself. Having a strong faith or a sense of something greater than yourself may help you successfully cope with cancer.