Bones in our bodies have several functions, they form a framework that supports and protects the internal organs, such as: the bones of the skull to protect the soft tissues of the brain, and the rib cage protects the lungs.
Muscles move the bones, and the bone marrow produces blood cells in our bodies. The cancerous growth that arises in the growing bone tissue is called primary bone cancer. Such tumors mostly appear in the bones of the hands and feet. However, it can occur in any type of bone in the body.
Bone cancer in children is rare, but in young adults and young adults it is the third in its spread after leukemia and lymphoma.
Primary bone cancer types
Primary bone cancer is often called sarcoma. There are several different types of sarcoma, and each characterizes a different bone layer. The most common are osteosarcoma, Ewing''s sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma.
1. Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma, also called osteosarcoma, is a malignant tumor of the bone originating in the bone-producing cells, characterized by the formation of a substance called Aostauaid and is the first stage of bone formation.
About 60% of primary bone tumors are of the osteosarcoma type.
This tumor appears in young people, especially in areas of rapid growth in the shoulder bone, knee, and thigh, and the best chances of recovery are in tumors in the limbs.
Osteosarcoma is defined by the dominant cell type responsible for the swelling process, such as: osteoblasts, chondrocytes, fibroblasts, and telangiectatics, which include blood-filled spaces in tumor cases.
There are multi-site cases that do not respond to treatment in any way, and there are better neoplastic cases in which the tumor does not cause any damage to the bone cavity but to the bone itself.
The typical appearance of swelling is localized aches and swelling without the appearance of fever, and the patient may remain in this condition for more than half a year.
2. Ewing''s sarcoma
Ewing''s sarcoma was first described by James Ewing in 1921 as an osteoblast characterized by blue, circular cells that are sensitive to radiation.
This is the most common type of bone malignancy in children and young adults, and every year four new cases are diagnosed for every million children under the age of 15.
Disease in the bone or soft tissue is more common in boys than in girls, with most cases diagnosed in the extremities (53%), thigh 25%, pelvis 20%, spine and ribs 13%.
In 3% of cases, patients are paralyzed as a result of the tumor pressing on the spinal cord, and 28% of patients will develop a fever similar to that caused by bone contamination, and 26% of patients will be diagnosed with metastases at diagnosis, and the most common sites for metastases are the lung, bones, and bone marrow.
The prospects for recovery for children and adolescents with Ewing sarcoma depend on the size and location of the tumor, the stage of the disease and the presence of metastases.
The five-year survival rate for patients without metastases is up to 70%.
3. Chondrosarcoma
Chondrosarcoma is the most common malignant tumor of the chest wall. The incidence of this type of sarcoma is greater in men in the third or fourth decade of life. The tumor is usually concentrated in the anterior rib cage, and may cause pain, but does not cause a rib fracture.
Bone cancer symptoms
Symptoms vary according to the type of cancer, as follows
1. Osteosarcoma symptoms
Among the most prominent symptoms that the patient may face are the following
Swelling around the bones.
Pain in the bone and muscle area.
Bone injury for unknown reasons.
2. Symptoms of Ewing''s sarcoma
The most common symptoms experienced by a patient with Ewing''s sarcoma are
Pain and swelling in the affected area.
Bone pain.
Unexpected fatigue.
Fever for no apparent reason.
Losing weight without striving for it.
3. Chondrosarcoma symptoms
Chondrosarcoma progresses slowly, so the patient may not have any symptoms at first, but as the disease worsens, the following symptoms appear:
Pain relief.
A lump or bulge in the area.
Problems with bowel and bladder control if the cancer has reached the spinal cord.
Bone cancer causes and risk factors
There are many causes and factors that lead to bone cancer, and they are as follows
1. Causes of bone cancer
Despite the different types of bone cancer, the cause of the disease is not known, and it often happens because there is a change in the genetic material, which leads to bone cells multiplying without the need for it, causing the tumor to grow.
2. Risk factors
Risk factors vary according to the type of cancer, as follows
1. Factors that increase the risk of osteosarcoma
The prevalence of osteosarcoma has been observed in patients with
Retinoblastoma.
Parts of the body that have been treated with radiation.
Patients over the age of forty.
People with Paget''s disease.
2. Factors that increase the risk of Ewing sarcoma
Factors that increase the risk of developing Ewing sarcoma include
children and adolescents.
European people.
3. Factors that increase the risk of chondrosarcoma
The most important factors that increase the risk of developing chondrosarcoma are
getting older
The presence of other bone diseases, such as: Maffucci''s syndrome.
Bone cancer complications
Complications of bone cancer include
Cancer has spread to different areas of the body, the most important of which are: the lung, and healthy bones.
The need to remove the affected organ in some cases and install artificial organs that need time to get used to.
Long-term side effects of the medicines used.
Bone cancer diagnosis
Bone cancer of various types is diagnosed based on the symptoms that the patient faces, and then the following tests are performed:
1. Imaging examinations
Initially, imaging tests are performed to explain the symptoms facing the patient, and the most prominent of these tests are the following:
Computed tomography.
Magnetic resonance imaging.
Bone imaging.
2. Biopsy
The doctor takes a biopsy from the affected area and analyzes it. The biopsy helps determine the type and degree of cancer.
bone cancer treatment
The following are the main treatments for bone cancer
Osteosarcoma treatment
Preoperative administration of chemotherapy (Neoadjuvant) improves the ability to preserve limbs without jeopardizing the patient.
Chemotherapy depends on three of the following four drugs
Methotrexate (MTX).
Doxorubicin (Doxorubicin).
Cisplatin.
Ifosfomide.
The fourth drug is given in cases where side effects are severe, or do not respond to other treatments, and removal of the tumor and the ion of a prosthesis in place of the bone is more acceptable today than the amputation that was common in the past.
60% - 80% of patients without metastases during diagnosis recover without evidence of recurrence over the next five years, yet the cure rate for tumors with metastases is only 20%.
In patients with stable tumors, radiation-guided therapy may be given in addition to other medications, such as:
Gemcitabine.
Etoposide.
Carboplatin.
Ewing''s sarcoma treatment
Treatment of localized bone cancer relies on a high level of radiation of 45-65 units of radiation, or excision, and this is related to the ability to perform surgery and the functional outcome and risks of secondary tumors caused by radiation.
Radiation therapy is performed for tumors in the pelvis and spine, and when there are remnants of the excised tumor, tumor surgery is performed in the limbs while preserving the limb.
The currently accepted treatment includes intravenous chemotherapy to reduce the tumor before excision or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy includes five drugs:
Vincristine.
Doxorubicin (Doxorubicin).
Cyclophosphamide.
Ifosfamide nates with Etoposide.
Chondrosarcoma treatment
The tumor is removed with healthy tissue (cutting away the cancer and some healthy tissue around it) as much as four centimeters of healthy tissue. Reconstruction of the chest wall during surgery.
In some cases, chemotherapy or radiation is used.
Bone cancer prevention
So far, there is no way to prevent bone cancer, but early diagnosis helps prevent complications.
