Bone Cancer - Stages, Causes, Symptoms, & Diagnosis

What is Bone Cancer?

Cancer is nothing but the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. The unmanageable cancer cells can also migrate and settle at different body parts and transform healthy cells or benign tumours to malignant ones.

When it comes to bone cancer, it is described as a malignant tumour in/of the bone that destroys healthy bone tissue. Some types of bone cancer mainly occur in children, while others mostly occur in adults. Surgical removal is one of the best and most common treatment options to treat such cancer, but chemotherapy can also be used. The treatment options entirely depend on the type of bone cancer being treated.  

Stages of Bone Cancer

After someone is diagnosed with bone cancer, the healthcare provider tries to figure out how far the cancer is spread. This process is known as Staging. Besides, doctors use the stage of cancer when talking about the statistics of survival.

Basically, bone cancer is categorized in 4 stages on the basis of how advanced the cancer is and these stages are:  

Stage 1: When cancer has not spread elsewhere and is not aggressive.

Stage 2: When cancer has not spread elsewhere but unlike stage 1 it is aggressive.

Stage 3: Tumors is found in at least two places in the bone.

Stage 4: When cancer has spread to various body parts.

Causes of Bone Cancer

However, the exact cause of bone cancer is unidentified, but specialists have found certain factors that are associated with an increased risk of cancer. There are a number of factors that may lead to the development of bone cancer and some of these factors include environmental factors, physical, chemical or hereditary are likely involved in the development of bone cancer.

Some of the causes of bone cancer determined by the doctors are:

• Stress (physical, chemical, biological and emotional).

• Low immune syndrome.

• Genetic factors.

• Viral infections.

• Pollutants.

• Drug resistance.

• Lifestyle.

• Pesticides, heavy metals in food.

What are the Symptoms of Bone Cancer?

The symptoms are as follows:

• Lump in the affected area.

• Unusual swelling in and around the affected area.

• Sudden bruises on the body.

• Frequent bone fractures.

• weakened bones that resulting in a significantly higher risk of fracture

• Weight loss.

• Fever, chills, and night sweats.

Who is at Risk of Bone Cancer?

There are some risk factors associated with Bone Cancer:

• having a family history of cancer, especially bone cancer
  
  
• currently or previously having had multiple tumours in the connective tissue is the bone, called cartilage
  
  
• having received radiation therapy or treatment in the past
  
  
• having Paget’s disease, a condition that causes the break down of bones and then grows back abnormally

Diagnosis of Bone Cancer

Your healthcare provider may use the following methods for determining the stage  of bone cancer and these methods include:

• a biopsy to analyze a small sample of tissues for diagnosing cancer

• a blood test

• a bone scan to check the condition of the bones

• imaging test including X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans to get in-depth views of the structure of bones

How Bone Cancer is treated?

Treatment of bone cancer depends on various factors such as:

• Age
  
  
• Overall Health Condition
  
  
• The Stage of Cancer
  
  
• Size of the Tumor
  
  
• Location of the Tumor