bone cancer
What is it?
- Cancer that begins to grow within the bone, most commonly found in the long bones of the body such as the arms or legs.
- The four most common types are osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, chordoma and chondrosarcoma.
- Bone cancer begins as an error in the bones DNA where cells are told to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner. The increased growth leads to a tumor at the site with the possibility that it could also spread to other parts of the body.
- Bone pain
- Swelling and tenderness at the site
- Bone fracture
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Reduced movement at the joint
- Pain will be felt at the tumor site, most often during movement of the bone
- Tumor growth could lead to nerve entrapment and symptoms down the arm
- CT Scan
- MRI
- PET Scan
- X-Ray
- Blood work
- Bone biopsy
- In the early stages pain in the region of the tumor will be felt, often aggravated during movement
- As growth continues it will cause increased pressure on surrounding tissues which could increase the symptoms during movement and also during rest. The increased size of the tumor leads to a higher chance of nerve impingement with referral pain down the arm.
- Presence of the bone tumor can lead to systemic responses such as unexplained weight loss and fatigue.