Bone cancer
Bone cancer is called cancer, which is the origin of the bone itself, and does not include the term cancers that started from another origin and moved to bone; each cancer is called the name of its origin, and bone cancer is one of the types of cancers are not widespread and the most affected bones are long bones Such as the component of the arms and feet, and there are several different types of bone cancer, so that some of them occur more in children and others occur in adults more.
Symptoms of bone cancer
Pain is the most common symptom of bone cancer. However, not all bone cancers cause pain, and bone cancer can cause constant swelling and pain in or near the bone. These symptoms may be the result of another condition. It is necessary to consult your doctor to find out the cause of the symptoms and the final diagnosis.
Types of bone cancer
The bone tissue is made up of different types of tissue, osteo-tissue, Cartilaginous Tissue, a strong but flexible tissue, fibrous tissue, and parts of the bone marrow. Marrow, bone cancer may occur in any type of bone tissue; but one of the most common types of bone cancer:
- Osteosarcoma , Usually occurs in the knee or upper arm. Its origin is the hard bone tissue cells.
- Chondrosarcoma , And usually occurs in the pelvic area, or the upper leg, or shoulder, and the origin of cells cartilage tissue, but it may sometimes contain the cells of bone cancer, in this case is classified as a bone marrow tumor.
- The Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors This occurs most often in the bone tissue, but it can also occur in some soft tissues such as muscle tissue, lipid, or blood vessels, And other supporting tissue types, and doctors believe that the origin of this type is some initial parts of the nerve tissue found in the bone tissue or soft tissue.
Diagnosis of bone cancer
Clinical examination, imaging and blood tests may indicate the possibility of bone cancer, but doctors often require biopsies to test their cells under the microscope to confirm the final diagnosis. Symptoms and radiographic findings may be similar to bone cancer and some other conditions such as osteoporosis, Therefore, it is necessary to use all available diagnostics and information and merge them together in order to obtain a definitive diagnosis of the condition.
Photographic tests
Various imaging tests are used to diagnose bone cancer, including:
- X-rays , Where the area of bone cancer appears irregular and unconnected, and can appear as a hole in the bone, and may reveal this method most types of bone cancer, and may be a specialist doctor to try to determine whether the tumor is benign or malignant by the form But it can only be confirmed by biopsy. It may be useful to determine the presence of a tumor around the affected area, which can spread to surrounding tissues such as muscles and others.
- Computed Tomography Scans , Can be used to determine the stage of the disease and its spread in other tissues in the body, such as: lung, liver, etc., can also be used during the biopsy to guide the needle’s conduct to the spread places.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Is the best way to confirm the presence of bone cancer, and also helps to examine the brain and spinal cord also; but it is sometimes disturbing because of the need for a relatively long time of approximately an hour, and because of the patient in a tube-like place for examination, which may raise The resentment of some patients who have fear of indoor, in addition to making the device to sounds may be annoying to some.
- Radionuclide Bone Scans (Radionuclide Bone Scans) , Where the patient is injected with a radioactive material called Technetium Diphosphonate, but the radiation used is small in quantity and does not cause damage in the long run. This radioactive material targets the infected bone cells and appears in dense areas of gray or black, These can indicate the spread of the disease at an early stage, rather than the discovery of X-rays, and can determine the amount of damage caused by cancer to the bones, but some cases of disease Of the other may appear similar, such as arthritis or inflammation of the bone and others.
- Positron Emission Tomography Scans (Positron Emission Tomography Scans) In this way glucose is used, which contains a radioactive atom. Cancer cells consume glucose because of the speed of their metabolic processes. Using a specialized camera, the radiation can be observed and tracked. This method can be used to determine whether the tumor is benign or not.
Examination by biopsy
The biopsy is defined as a tissue sample taken from the tumor for examination under the microscope. It is the only way to distinguish between cancer and other diseases. The biopsy may also determine whether the cancer is bone or elsewhere, What the surgeon sees is appropriate; depending on the outcome of the radiographs, the age of the patient, the location of the tumor, and whether the tumor appears benign or malignant, and the screening methods using the following biopsy:
- Needle Biopsy There are two types of drugs, each of which uses a local anesthetic to numb the area from which the biopsy will be taken. The first is to take the biopsy with a fine needle (Biopsy). A very thin needle is attached to the syringe, A small amount of fluid and some cells of the tumor, and the second type is a biopsy by a relatively large needle (Core Needle Biopsies), which uses a larger needle to remove a small cylinder of the desired tissue, and many experts prefer to use this method for the diagnosis of primary bone cancer.
- Surgical Bone Biopsy , And are usually performed under the influence of general anesthesia of the patient, or by aborting and inhibition of the nerve to anesthetize a large area, where the skin is cut to take part of the tumor and access to it, and in cases where the tumor is removed in full and not a small part of it is called excision biopsy : Excisional Biopsy).
Treatment of bone cancer
The choice of treatment method depends on several factors, including type, degree, possible side effects of treatment, patient’s health status, and choice of choice. For example, more than one treatment option is integrated into advanced stage cancers. The most important treatment options:
- Surgical removal , The removal of the tumor and part of the surrounding non-infected tissue, and in cases where the injured part of the arm or leg; the injured part is maintained as much as possible, but in some cases the optimal treatment is the amputation of the injured part, depending on the size and location of the tumor, Children with bone cancer resort to amputation more than adults because of the rapid growth of their bones.
- Chemotherapy , By giving drugs that destroy cancer cells and stop their ability to grow and divide. The type of drugs used depends on the type of cancer. One of the most common drugs used for the treatment of osteoporosis is doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and methotrexate. Methotrexate, etc. The drugs used to treat Ewing cancer include Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide, and others.
- Radiation Therapy (Radiation Therapy) , Where high-energy x-rays or other particles are used to destroy cancer cells. This method is usually used in cases of bone cancer that can not be surgically removed and can be used before surgically removing the tumor to reduce its size or after surgical removal to remove Remaining cancerous cells.