What Is Bone Cancer?

Bone tumors are tumors that occur in the bone or its accessory tissues. There are benign and malignant. Malignant bone tumors, commonly referred to as "bone cancer" by the common people, ^[1] develop rapidly, have poor prognosis, and have a high mortality rate. Malignant bone tumors are classified as primary and secondary. Malignant tumors from other tissues or organs in the body are metastatic to the bones through the blood circulation and lymphatic system and are secondary malignant bone tumors. There is also a class of lesions called tumor-like lesions. The tissues of tumor-like lesions do not have the characteristics of tumor cell morphology, but their ecology and behavior are destructive to tumors. They are generally limited and easy to cure.

Basic Information

English name: bone cancer
Visiting department: Oncology

Common causes: Qualitative theory, genetic theory, endocrine theory, etc.
Common symptoms: Pain, swelling or lump, dysfunction, deformity, fracture, etc.

Causes of Bone Cancer

There is no exact cause. Internal causes include quality theory, genetic theory, endocrine theory, etc .; external factors include chemical element substances, internal and external radiation chronic stimulation theory, and virus infection theory. Some multiple osteochondroma and fibroid proliferative diseases are related to family inheritance. Benign tumors of bone can be malignant.

Clinical manifestations of bone cancer

Pain

It is the main symptom that appears early in bone tumors. It is relatively mild at the beginning of the disease and is intermittent. With the progress of the disease, pain can gradually increase and develop into persistent. Most patients experience increased pain at night that affects sleep. Its pain can radiate far away.

2. Swelling or lumps

Tumors that are subcutaneous or superficial appear earlier and can touch bone expansion and deformation. If the tumor penetrates out of the bone, it can produce a fixed soft tissue mass with a smooth or uneven surface.

3. dysfunction

In the later stage of bone tumor, due to pain and swelling, the function of the affected part will be impaired, which may be accompanied by muscle atrophy in the corresponding part.

4. Compression symptoms

Tumors growing into the cranial cavity and nasal cavity can compress the brain and nasal tissues, resulting in craniocerebral compression and poor breathing; pelvic tumors can compress the rectum and bladder, resulting in difficulty in defecation and urination; spinal tumors can compress the spinal cord and Paralyzed.

5. deformity

Due to tumors affecting the development and solidity of the limbs and bones, the deformity is complicated, and the lower limbs are obvious.

6. Pathological fracture

As long as the tumor site has a slight external force, it is easy to cause fractures. The fracture site is swollen and painful. Pathological fractures of the spine are often associated with paraplegia.

7. Systemic symptoms

In the later stage of bone tumors, due to tumor consumption, toxin stimulation, and painful torture, a series of systemic symptoms can occur, such as insomnia, irritability, loss of appetite, depression, pale, progressive weight loss, anemia, cachexia, and so on.

For metastatic bone cancer, there may be corresponding clinical manifestations according to the primary disease.

Bone cancer examination

Radiological examination

X-ray examination can provide valuable data for clarifying the nature, type, scope and treatment of bone tumors, and is an important examination method for bone tumors. Malignant tumors have irregular images, blurred edges, and obvious osteolysis, bone destruction, thinning, fracture, and loss. Primary malignant tumors often have periosteal reactions. The shape of the malignant tumors can be sun-radiated, onion-like and Codman triangle.

2. Pathological examination

Histopathological examination is considered to be the most accurate diagnostic method, but the pathological examination must be combined with clinical and x-ray examinations. Commonly used materials and inspection methods include needle aspiration biopsy, incision biopsy, frozen section, paraffin section and so on.

3. Radionuclide inspection

It can be used for early diagnosis of bone metastases.

4.CT and magnetic resonance

Early detection of diseased tissues with high accuracy.

5. Other

When osteosarcoma accelerates blood sedimentation, alkaline phosphatase of osteoblastic metastatic bone tumors can increase.

Bone cancer diagnosis

The diagnosis of most bone tumors is complicated, and sometimes there are certain difficulties. Comprehensive analysis should be combined with the above tests, and the final diagnosis depends on histopathological examination.

Bone Cancer Treatment

1 surgical resection

Amputation and joint dissection are the most common methods. However, due to the advancement of chemotherapy methods, in recent years, some scholars have begun to perform tumor resection or total femoral resection and replaced with artificial prostheses. Measures such as "extensive partial resection and functional reconstruction" with preservation of limbs combined with chemotherapy were adopted.

2. Chemotherapy

Commonly used drugs for systemic chemotherapy are doxorubicin and high-dose methotrexate, but the drug's action selectivity is not strong, and tumor cells are not synchronized during the division cycle, all affecting the effect of chemotherapy.

3. Local chemotherapy

Including continuous intra-arterial chemotherapy and regional perfusion, regional perfusion is better.

4. Immunotherapy

Due to limited sources of interferon, it has not been widely used.

5. Radiotherapy methods

Bone tumors can only be used as an adjuvant treatment.