Bone Cancer Symptoms and Diagnosis

Bone cancer is mostly diagnosed in children or teenagers but it is found with the elders too. Bones make the basic structure of the body. Like skin, the bones also have cells and these cells keep on dividing and growing to produce new cells to replace the old ones. The normal body has a control over the process of division. Cancer is a disease in which the process of multiplication of cells gets out of control and the body loses control over the growth of cells. The body cells can take abnormal shapes, colors or the speed of growth would be affected, gets slow or very rapid. According to the medical statistics, in the United States of America, over 2000 people are diagnosed for bone tumor, annually. During year 2011, there had been 2,810 recorded cases of bone cancer and 1490 recorded deaths.

The bone cancer can be happen in two ways: either one has a bone tumor and gets the specifically bone cancer, this is called primary bone cancer; the other case is the secondary bone cancer, in this case another kind of cancer of any other organ spreads from that organ to the bones. The primary bone cancer is usually diagnosed with children or teens only; it is very rare that an adult gets diagnosed for a bone tumor.

The causes of Bone Cancer

Most kinds of the cancer, including bone cancer, are caused by the tumors. Talking about the primary bone cancer the most common tumors those lead to bone cancer are: osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma, and chordoma.

The symptoms of Bone Cancer

The biggest and most visible symptom of bone cancer is pain in bones. The pain depends upon the size and how long the bones have got the tumor for. On the initial stages the pain may only be felt when the patient moves or puts bones to work, sometimes in the night. But with the passage of time it can grow. Talking about symptoms a lump on the bones or in the tissues surrounding them can be taken as a symptom to bone cancer. The bone tumors can lead to fractures in the bone if hit on the affected bone, no matter hard or soft, or even if the patient just stands or puts a bit of pressure on the affected bone. Sometimes the tumors can press the nearing or related nerve which can cause pain or in some cases numbness.

Bone Cancer Diagnosis

When the patient goes to the doctor with the above mentioned symptoms the doctor will have to check the family history, because some kinds of cancer can be inherited or run into the family. But Bone cancer is something that does not need a family history, specifically. So you will have to undergo some tests i.e. C.T. scan or MRI.
Treatments for bone cancer or bone tumors
The treatments for the bone cancer depend upon the location, size and spread of the cancer. The most common treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.