Bone Cancer
What is bone cancer?
A medical speciality called bone oncology deals with detecting and managing malignancies that damage the bones. This can include cancers that originate in the bones, like osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma, and cancers that have progressed from other body areas, like the breast, prostate, and lung, to the bones. Patients with bone cancer frequently benefit from the experience of a bone oncologist who can offer a thorough and individualised treatment plan based on their unique needs. Bone oncology is a developing discipline.
What is bone cancer?
Bone cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the bone's cellular structure. There are several types of bone cancer, including:
Chondrosarcoma is a specific type of bone cancer that mainly affects adults over the age of forty and arises in the bone's cartilage cells.- Ewing sarcoma is a bone cancer that frequently strikes kids and teenagers and shows up in the pelvis, arms, or legs.
- Osteosarcoma - Children and young adults are generally affected by bone cancer, which typically develops in the long bones, like the thighbone or shinbone.
- Additional primary bone cancer types include:
- Chordoma - The base of the skull and the spine are both affected by the rare form of cancer known as chordoma. All ages are affected by this slow-growing malignancy, albeit middle-aged adults are more likely to have it than younger patients.
- Giant cell tumour of the bone - Giant cell tumour of the bone (GCT), a specific variant of benign (noncancerous) tumours, affects the bones, typically the long bones of the body like the arm, thigh, or leg.
- Malignant fibrous histiocytoma - Uncommon cancer known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) can attack several body regions, including the bones. It is a form of cancer known as a sarcoma that affects connective tissues like bone, muscle, and cartilage.
What causes bone cancer?
Although the precise cause of bone cancer is unknown, many factors increase your susceptibility to it. Some of the risk factors for bone cancer include:
- Exposure to certain chemicals
It is possible that people exposed to particular chemicals, such as benzene, have a greater chance of getting bone cancer.
- Family history
The likelihood of acquiring bone cancer may be higher in people with a family history of the condition.
- Genetics
In some cases, the likelihood of getting bone cancer can rise due to inherited genetic abnormalities.
- Paget's disease
This syndrome results in aberrant bone development and remodelling and raises the possibility of getting bone cancer.
- Previous radiation therapy
People who have received radiation therapy for other types of cancer may be at an increased risk of developing bone cancer.
It is critical to remember that a person's exposure to these risk factors does not ensure that they will acquire bone cancer. Some people who get bone cancer have no recognised risk factors, while many others with these risk factors do not develop the disease. Consult Dr Motilall right away if you are worried about acquiring bone cancer.
How do you treat bone cancer?
Some of the common treatments for bone cancer include:
- Chemotherapy
Drugs are used in this therapy to kill cancer Before or after surgery, chemotherapy can be administered orally or intravenously.
- Hormone therapy
To slow the growth of specific types of bone cancer, such as osteosarcoma, this treatment uses hormones or hormone blockers.
- Radiation therapy
High-energy radiation destroys cancer cells and reduces tumour
- Surgery
The diseased bone or a portion of the affected bone is removed in this method, frequently used as the initial line of treatment for bone cancer. The damaged bone may be replaced with a prosthesis or bone taken from another body part.
- Targeted therapy
Drugs used in this therapy target molecules involved in developing and disseminating cancer Targeted therapy can be used with other medical procedures like radiation or surgery.