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Doctors for Bone Cancer 
What is bone cancer?
Bone cancer is a rare form of cancer that is characterised by abnormal growths in the bones of the body. Bone cancer occurs when the normal cells in a bone become cancerous or malignant or when cancer cells from other regions of the body, such as the lungs, breasts, or prostate gland spread to a bone. Bone cancer mainly affects children and adolescents and accounts for 0.2% of all cancers.
What are its main associated signs and symptoms?
Pain in the bones and joints is a common symptom of bone cancer. Symptoms experienced by an individual will vary based on the area affected and the size of the cancerous tumour. Other common symptoms seen are:
- Swelling of the bones and joints.
- Difficulty in movement.
- Proneness to fracture.
- Multiple fractures.
- Weak bones.
Other non-specific common signs and symptoms are:
What are the main causes?
The exact cause is still unknown. Certain risk factors that can increase your chance of developing bone cancer are:
- Hereditary conditions like retinoblastoma (eye cancer), chondrosarcomas (cancer of the cartilage), and chordomas (non-cancerous cartilage tumour).
- Exposure to radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy.
- History of non-cancerous tumours like Paget’s disease.
- Injury to the bones.
- Bone marrow transplantation.
- Bone implants.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
After a physical examination and detailed family and personal history, the doctor will carry out one or more of the following diagnostic tests.
- Blood test to detect abnormal levels of enzymes produced by bones, such as alkaline phosphatase. However, this test will not confirm the presence of bone cancer.
- One or more imaging tests like X-ray, bone scan, MRI, and CT scan to find the location and size of cancer.
- Biopsy, where a sample is taken from the affected bone and examined for cancer cells.
- PET scan to look for the spread of cancer to other parts of the body
Surgery is a common treatment for bone cancer. Other available treatment options are chemotherapy and radiation therapy depending on the individual’s condition.
