Warning symptoms of bone cancer

The symptoms of bone cancer can be a little difficult to identify at first because these symptoms are often caused by noncancerous conditions such as injury or joint problems. Symptoms of bone cancer vary and depend on factors such as the location and type of tumor. Symptoms usually appear several months before a bone cancer diagnosis, about three months on average.

Pain is the most common symptom of primary bone cancer. At first, the pain may be intermittent, so it is often thought of as a physical injury. This is common in the younger population that tends to be affected by osteosarcoma.

Common symptoms of osteosarcoma include: limping if the tumor is in the leg or hip bone; difficulty moving, lifting or walking; pain, swelling near the joint; heat and redness in the affected area; fracture at the site of the tumor; bones can break despite normal movement; sudden, severe pain in the bone for weeks or months.

Bone cancer pain may be worse at night or with exercise. With primary bone cancer, pain often occurs in the long bones of the body, such as the arms and legs. With metastatic bone cancer, the spine is the affected area and back pain is the most common symptom.

Swelling is also a symptom of bone cancer. This can happen several weeks after the onset of bone pain. Some people with bone cancer may have a palpable lump if it is in a location that can be detected by touch.

Pathological fractures also show signs of bone cancer, fractures that do not usually occur in healthy bones. When the tumor grows in the bone, the bone can weaken and break. Pathological fractures cause sudden severe pain in the diseased bone for weeks or months. Osteoma is sometimes found when a bone has weakened, broken by a small fall or accident.

As bone cancer progresses, systemic symptoms may arise in addition to local effects near the diseased bone such as: fatigue and somnolence, fever, unintentional weight loss, pale skin, or lack of tachycardia blood. These systemic symptoms tend to occur when the disease is very severe. Different sites and types of bone tumors can cause specific symptoms along with the effects of bone cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about half of all osteosarcomas begin in the area around the knee. The starting point is usually near the end of the femur followed by the tibia (below the knee), the third most common site is the humerus near the shoulder. In addition, other parts of the skeleton can also appear. , most commonly the hip, in less than 10% of osteosarcoma cases in children.

Types of bone cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, head and neck bone tumors are relatively rare and account for less than 10% of all bone tumors. The incidence of this bone tumor in men and women is nearly equal. The bone most commonly affected is the jawbone, followed by the upper mouth part of the skull (upper jaw). Cancer in the bones of the neck can grow and enlarge in the back of the throat, making it difficult to swallow or breathe. Cancer in the bones of the spine can grow and press on nerves, causing numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness.

Parosteal osteosarcoma (cancer of the periosteum) causes pain and mild tenderness over the cancer site. These tumors can limit the flexibility and elongation of the knee joint. Tumors can appear long before diagnosis, enlarge before pain develops in the late stages.

Multiple sclerosis (multifocal sclerosis) is a condition in which there are multiple tumors in the skeleton at diagnosis. Bone tumors develop independently, simultaneously, and in many locations. Symptoms are similar to other typical osteomas, can occur in very young children and spread more widely.

Post-irradiation osteosarcoma can develop after radiation therapy for another cancer. This type of tumor develops in less than 1% of people who have had radiation therapy for cancer. Bone tumors occur more often in patients receiving higher doses of radiation therapy, and symptoms often include swelling and pain in the area of ​​the body that received radiation, according to the Korean Society of Neurological Cancer.

Symptoms

Possible complications of osteosarcoma such as: infection; postoperative bleeding and problems after limb bone surgery; problems caused by chemotherapy and radiation include hair loss, mouth sores, vomiting, diarrhea, increased infections, easy bruising, bleeding, fatigue, underdeveloped bones, organ damage, and new cancers.

In addition, bone cancer patients may also experience emotional and physical challenges after amputation; heart and lung problems, problems with growth and development, learning; fertility; development of other cancers. Bone cancer can spread to other organs, most commonly from the bones to the lungs. Metastatic bone cancer is also found in other bones and soft tissues. Bone tumors that become more widespread are often the result of a recurrence. Osteoma may extend to the central nervous system or the gastrointestinal tract.

Death from osteosarcoma is often the result of respiratory failure. Bone cancer can metastasize, bleed into the lungs, collapse one or both lungs, and compress blood vessels near the lungs causing respiratory failure.

Mai Cat
(According to Verywellhealth)