Bone cancer

Bone cancer is a type of cancer that attacks bone. This condition can be experienced by children to adults. Bone cancer can attack any bone in the body, but generally takes place in the legs, arms, and pelvis.

Bone cancer is classified as an uncommon atmosphere, only as much as 1% of all cancer sufferers. Tumors that form on the bones are more benign than those that are malignant.

Symptoms of Bone Cancer

The following are the three main signs and symptoms of bone cancer, namely:

•     Pain. Bone cancer patients will feel pain in the affected bone area. Initially, the pain only feels occasionally, but it will become more and more often with the growth of cancer. Pain will feel longer when moving, and generally worsen at night.
•     Swelling. Swelling and inflammation come out in the area around the affected bone. If swelling occurs in the bones near the joints, the patient will have difficulty mobilizing the joints.
•     Brittle bones. Bone cancer causes bones to become brittle. If it gets worse, a minor injury can result in a broken bone.

Some other symptoms that can accompany the three main cues above are:

•     Weight loss without cause.
•     Night sweats.
•     The body is light tired.
•     Fever.
•     The sensation of numbness or numbness, if cancer occurs in the spine and squeeze nerves.
•     Shortness of breath, if bone cancer spreads to the lungs.

Keep in mind, bone pain in adults is sometimes misinterpreted as arthritis. Whereas in children and adolescents, it is sometimes recognized as a side effect of bone growth. Immediately consult a doctor if you or your child feel the bone pain that disappears and arises, worsens at night, and does not improve even after taking pain medication.
 
Causes and Risk Factors for Bone Cancer

The exact cause of bone cancer is unknown. However, this situation is thought to be triggered by a change or mutation in the genes controlling cell growth. These mutations make cells grow out of control, and form tumors in bone.

Cancer that forms in the bones can spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymph flow.

There are a number of aspects that can increase a person's risk of developing bone cancer, namely:

•     Suffered from a genetic disorder called Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
•     Never pursue healing with radiotherapy.
•     Have had an eye cancer called retinoblastoma, as a child.
•     Have suffered from an umbilical hernia, at any time
•     Suffers from Paget's disease, which is a situation where bones become weak. 

Types of Bone Cancer

The following are the types of bone cancer:

•     Osteosarcoma. Osterosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer, which develops in the bone cells of the arms, legs and pelvis. Osteosarcoma is more common at the age of 10-30 years, and is more experienced by men than women.
•     Chondrosarcoma. This type of bone cancer develops in cartilage cells in the areas of the upper arms, shoulders, ribs, pelvis, and thighs. Chondrosarcoma is more common in women over 40 years.
•     Ewing's Sarcoma. This type of bone cancer usually develops in the pelvic bones, femur and shin. Ewing's sarcoma is more common at the age of 10-20 years. Only 10% of Ewing's sarcoma cases are experienced by adults aged 20 years and over.
•     Chordoma This type of bone cancer is usually seen at the base of the skull or in the spine, and tends to grow slowly. Chordoma most often affects men aged 30 years and over.
•     Giant cell tumors in bones. Although some of these tumors are benign, some can be malignant. This type of bone cancer usually attacks the bones of the arm and leg bones near the knee. These tumors rarely spread to other parts of the body that are far away, but are often seen again despite being removed. 

Bone Cancer Diagnosis

Doctors are able to suspect a patient suffering from bone cancer, for example contained a number of signs that have been described previously. But to be sure, doctors are able to carry out further checks, such as:

•     X-ray photos. X-ray examination is done to be aware of bone damage caused by cancer, and also the presence or absence of new bone growth. X-ray examination is also able to show the doctor whether the signs experienced by patients caused by bone cancer or other conditions, like a broken bone.
•     Computerized tomography (CT) scan. CT scan is checking X light with the help of a computer to produce images of body parts in three-dimensional form. CT scans are mostly done to see whether the cancer has spread to other organs.
•     Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is used to watch more closely with the size of the cancer, and the extent of its spread in or around the area of ​​the bone.
•     Nuclear inspection. If needed, the doctor will combine X-ray checking with the injection of radioactive material into a vein. Radioactive material will be absorbed more quickly by the bones affected by cancer, and support doctors see the affected area more clearly.
•     Biopsy. A biopsy is a sample of bone tissue affected by cancer for microscopy. This is the most accurate method in diagnosing bone cancer. In addition to being able to select the model of bone cancer suffered by the patient, a biopsy is also able to detect the stage and spread of the cancer. Biopsy can be done by keyhole surgery or by open surgery. 

The above examination includes being used to select the stage or severity of the cancer. There are four stages in the problem of bone cancer, namely:

•      Stage 1. In this section, cancer is still in one bone area.
•      Stage 2. In this section, the cancer cells have become enlarged.
•      Stage 3. In this section, the cancer has spread to more than one area on the same bone.
•      Stage 4. In this section, the cancer has spread to other organs in the body, such as the lungs, liver, or brain.

Bone Cancer Treatment

The choice of healing for bone cancer depends on the severity, location, and style of the cancer. Management of bone cancer can be done together with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

Operation

The operation aims to remove the part of the bone affected by the cancer, and the surrounding tissue for example is needed. Some of the styles of surgery that can be done to treat bone cancer are:

• Bone removal surgery. Bone removal surgery is done if the cancer has not spread beyond the bone, and the bone is still able to be reshaped. In this procedure, part of the bone affected by cancer can be removed, then replaced with artificial bone from metal (prosthesis). As for the muscles, blood vessels and nerves around the bone can be left. If the affected bone is located near the joint such as the knee, the orthopedic doctor is able to lift the joint and replace it with an artificial joint.

•      Amputation. Amputation is the removal of more than one or all parts of the affected limb, then replacing it with an artificial limb. This procedure is done if the cancer has spread to other areas around the bone. In amputation, the doctor can remove all parts of the bones, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves in the bones that have been affected by cancer.

After successful surgery, patients are advised to initiate physiotherapy, in order to restore the benefits of organs in the members who are operated on.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the support of anticancer drugs through injection into blood vessels. Chemotherapy can be done in several ways, namely:

•     Combined with radiation therapy before the patient initiates surgery. This method, known as chemoradiation, is efficient in dealing with Ewing's sarcoma.
•     Given before surgery to shrink the size of the cancer, so it can be removed without having to start an amputation.
•     Given after surgery to prevent cancer cells from growing back.
•     Given to relieve signs (palliative chemotherapy) in patients who are unable to be treated in any way.

The implementation of chemotherapy is divided into several cycles, each of which runs for several days. There is a temporary respite of several weeks in one cycle with the next cycle, so that the patient is able to recover from the effects of chemotherapy. The number of cycles of chemotherapy needed will not be the same in each patient, related to the model and the severity of the cancer suffered.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy or radiation therapy is carried out by emitting high radiation light, such as X light. This procedure is usually carried out before the operation will shrink cancer cells, so that cancer is more easily removed. Radiotherapy is generally carried out 5 times a week, with each session running for more than one minute.

Just like chemotherapy, radiotherapy is also able to run to relieve symptoms and slow the progression of cancer in bone cancer patients who are unable to be treated any more.

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