Treatments

Bone Tumors

Female doctor holding x-ray

Overview

Bone tumors form when cells in the bone divide without control, making a tissue mass. Most types of bone tumors are benign. This means they aren’t cancer and stay in the bone. They don’t spread to other areas of the body. But they may still weaken the bone and lead to broken bones or other issues.Bone cancer kills normal bone tissue. It can start in the bone or it can spread from other parts of the body (when it spreads, it’s called metastasis).

Benign Bone Lesions

While benign tumors are not cancerous, they require special expertise, management and care. Examples of benign tumors include:

Lipomas

A lipoma is a fatty lump between the skin and muscles. They are slow growing and usually harmless. In rare cases, they can be cancerous. They commonly occur in the back, neck, shoulders, abdomen, thighs and arms. Treatment usually isn’t necessary, but if the lipoma is painful, bothersome or grows, surgery may be needed to take them out. They are most common in people 40 and older. This disease requires a medical diagnosis. A medical professional can treat it. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

Giant Cell Tumors

A giant cell bone tumor grows at the ends of the long bones. Usually, they develop on the thigh bone (femur) or tibia (shin). They typically occur in young adults and are slightly more common in females. These rare tumors happen in only about one out of one million people yearly. While they aren’t cancerous, they are aggressive and can destroy the bone. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests. Doctors treat it by removing the tumor surgically.

Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors are typically benign tumors that form along the peripheral nerves. These slow-growing tumors can form within the nerve, itself. They cause it to expand and compress the neighboring nerve fibers. The most common symptoms are pain, numbness and weakness in the nerve.

Doctors most commonly treat them with surgery. It is important to have an experienced surgeon perform the operation. Most of these tumors are entwined with the surrounding nerves. The nerves must be preserved when the doctor removes the tumor. Some doctors will perform biopsies of the tumors, but this isn’t advised. That’s because it can damage the normal nerve fibers, resulting in weakness, numbness and pain. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

Myxomas

Myxomas are a type of benign heart tumor. Half of all primary heart tumors (tumors that start in the heart, not somewhere else in the body) are myxomas. They usually develop in women between the ages of 40-60. People with myxomas may feel short of breath or faint, and they may have fever or weight loss. Surgery is the main treatment. For about five years following the surgery, patients will receive a heart test called an echocardiogram to be sure that the tumor doesn’t come back. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

Types of Bone Cancer

Cancers that come from the musculoskeletal system are called sarcomas. If the cancer starts in the muscles or bones, it is a primary bone tumor. Examples of primary bone cancer include osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, and soft tissue sarcoma.

If the cancer started somewhere else in the body and spread (metastasized) to the bones or soft tissues, it is called a metastatic tumor.

Primary bone tumors are rare. Secondary bone tumors are more common, and they commonly come from cancer in the lungs, prostate, breast or kidney.

Malignant Tumors

Malignant, or cancerous types of bone tumors come in two types, primary and secondary. Primary tumors start in the bone, itself. On the other hand, secondary tumors start somewhere else and spread (or metastasize). Primary tumors usually happen in children, though some adults get them, too.

Primary Bone Cancer

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a very rare bone disease that occurs mainly in children and young adults. There are typically less than 20,000 cases in the United States per year. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

Osteoscarcoma occurs most often in the long bones of the arms and legs, though it can happen in any bone. Symptoms include localized bone pain and swelling. Treatment typically involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Ewing’s Sarcoma

Ewing’s sarcoma is a cancer that typically occurs in and around the bones. It is extremely care, with fewer than 1,000 cases reported each year. It typically occurs in young adults and children, and it often begins in the arms, legs or pelvis. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

It can cause pain in the back, joints or bones; swelling and tenderness and limping, and in rare occasions it can cause bone fractures. Depending on what stage the cancer is in, it is treated with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation.

Fibrosarcoma

Fibrosarcoma is a rare primary tumor, meaning that it starts in the bone, itself, rather than somewhere else in the body. About one case is diagnosed every year for every two million people. It is usually found in men aged 30 to 40. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

Pain and swelling at the tumor site are the most common symptoms. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests. Surgery is the primary treatment, though chemotherapy and radiation may also play a role.

Chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues of the body. It occurs mainly in adults between the ages of 20 and 60, primarily men. It accounts for about 20 percent of all bone tumors. Doctors diagnose approximately 600 patients each year. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

The disease usually starts in the pelvis, or in the long bones of the arms or legs, but it can be found in any body part that contains cartilage. People with this type of tumor typically do not feel sick at first, though they will eventually have pain, swelling or limited movement. The main treatment option is surgery.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcoma is a type of cancer that can develop in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves. Doctors diagnose about 12,000 new cases each year, with slightly more in men than women. There are more than 50 types of soft tissue sarcoma, not all of which are cancerous. This disease requires a medical diagnosis and is treatable by a medical professional. Treatment always requires imaging or lab tests.

More than half of sarcomas begin in an arm or a leg. The first symptom is usually a lump, which isn’t often painful but can be. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and other types of targeted therapy.

Secondary Bone Cancer

If the cancer started somewhere else in the body and then spread to the bone or soft tissues, we call it a secondary or metastatic tumor. The team at Orthopaedic Oncology commonly treat secondary bone cancer that has spread from:

  • Breast
  • Lung
  • Prostate
  • Kidney (renal)

Treatment depends on the type of cancer and where it has spread.