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Bone cancer most often starts in bone cells. But it can also spread from another part of the body to the bones. This is called secondary bone cancer.
Doctors diagnose bone cancer by doing a physical exam and taking a medical history. They may also order scans such as an MRI, CT, or PET scan.
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The first step in diagnosing bone cancer is for a healthcare professional to take your medical history and do a physical exam. They will examine the area where the symptoms are located and may order X-rays to see the shape and size of the tumor or lump. If they suspect you have a bone cancer, they will refer you to an orthopedic oncologist, who specialises in bones and will order further tests.
Bone cancer forms when a mass of abnormal cells starts to grow within a bone and then breaks down the surrounding tissue. It can start in any bone in the body, but is most often seen in long bones in the legs and arms such as the femur or shinbone. It can also form in the pelvic bones, or in the sternum. Bone cancer can be either malignant, which means it’s growing quickly and likely to spread, or benign, which means it’s not growing fast and is unlikely to spread.
In most cases, doctors can only diagnose bone cancer by examining a sample of the tumor under a microscope. They will need to know where the tumor is located and if it has spread, so they can plan your treatment. They will also need to know what type of bone cancer you have, as the different types grow in different ways and spread in different ways.
X-rays, CT scans or an MRI can help show the shape of a tumor and other abnormalities in your bones. A PET scan – where you are injected with a small amount of radioactive glucose to highlight areas that are using more energy than normal – can also be used to check for certain types of bone cancer. A bone biopsy can be done in one of two ways – a needle biopsy, where a thin needle is inserted into the bone under CT guidance, or an open or surgical biopsy, where the surgeon cuts through your skin to remove a piece of the tumor.
The diagnosis of a bone cancer can be upsetting and confusing. Your doctor or specialist nurse will be able to talk through the different treatments available and their side effects with you. They can also refer you to a specialist support service if needed.
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The type and stage of your bone cancer will determine how you are treated. You will have many different appointments to check how well the treatment is working and that the cancer hasn’t returned. You may have regular X-rays, blood tests and MRI scans to check whether the cancer is still growing or has spread to other parts of your body.
Depending on the type of bone cancer you have, surgery is usually the first step in treatment. You will be given general anaesthetic and your surgeon will remove the part of the bone with the cancer and some surrounding normal-looking bone and muscle. This is called wide local excision and it reduces the chance of the cancer coming back.
Chemotherapy is often used with bone cancer, either before surgery to shrink a tumour (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that are left behind. It can also be used as a maintenance therapy after bone cancer has been removed to try to stop the cancer returning or spreading.
If the cancer is confined to the bone, your doctor may perform limb salvage surgery. This is where they remove the part of the bone with cancer but keep nearby muscles, tendons, nerves and blood vessels. They might replace the bone with a metallic implant or with bone from elsewhere in your body or a bone bank.
Some people with bone cancer are very lucky and the tumour never comes back, even after several rounds of surgery. However, some of them may need to have further treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy for the rest of their lives to prevent the cancer from coming back or spreading.
It is natural to worry that your cancer will come back and it may feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve had multiple surgeries. However, it’s important to try to focus on the positive outcomes of your treatment and remember that the chances of the cancer returning are very low. It’s helpful to talk about your worries and feelings with your family, friends or a Macmillan support group.
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The outlook for bone cancer depends on the type of tumor and how far it has spread. The chances of a cure increase with the size and grade of the tumor, and how close it is to nearby bones and nerves. Doctors also consider your age, fitness and medical history.
A bone tumor may be benign or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors do not spread beyond the bone where they start.
If a tumor is malignant, doctors will try to remove it and stop it from spreading. If they cannot remove it entirely, they may use radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy to slow the growth of the tumor or reduce symptoms.
A bone scan and a biopsy help doctors find out whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. If cancer cells have spread to the lungs or other bones, it is called metastatic bone disease. Cancers that metastasize to bone most often are cancers of the breast, lung and prostate, but can also be melanoma, ovarian carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma.
Bone cancer that has not spread to other bones or lymph nodes is at stage 1. If it grows quickly, it is at stage 2. If it is very large, it is at stage 3. And if it appears in more than one bone, it is at stage 4.
Recent improvements in surgical techniques and pre-operative chemotherapy have meant that most patients with Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma can have limb-salvage surgery. This means that the surgeon can remove the part of the bone with the cancer, and replace it with a metallic implant. This helps to save the limb and improves the chance of a good recovery.
However, advanced bone cancer is not always cured. It can be treated for months or years with palliative care, which helps to control pain and symptoms such as fatigue and weakness. Your cancer doctor or specialist nurse will explain the different treatment options and their side effects. They will work with you to come up with a plan that fits your needs. They may refer you to a therapist or counsellor who specialises in relationships, sex and body image.
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The more than 200 bones in the body make up the skeleton and provide structure and support for parts of the body, protect vital organs, and act as levers that help muscles move. Most bones start out as cartilage, a firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones and joints. Then, as a person grows, the cartilage changes to bone, which hardens and forms the skeletal system. Some bones also contain marrow, which produces blood cells.
When cancer begins in the bones, it is called primary bone cancer or osteosarcoma. Bone cancer may also spread to the bones from another area of the body, which is called secondary bone cancer or metastatic cancer.
Generally, cancer that starts in the bones is not preventable, but some factors can increase the risk of developing bone cancer. These include being older, certain genetic conditions, and having certain diseases that can cause cancer in the bones or other areas of the body, such as Paget’s disease of bone or hereditary retinoblastoma.
In addition, people who have had other cancers that spread to the bones — such as breast or prostate cancer — are at higher risk for developing bone cancer in those areas than those who have not. The reason is that the cancer that has spread to the bones is more likely to be aggressive and more likely to grow quickly.
While there is no known way to prevent primary bone cancer, it is important to see a doctor for regular checkups and talk about your family history of health problems. This can help detect bone cancer early, when it is most treatable.
There are many treatments for bone cancer, and if the tumor has not spread to other areas of the body, treatment can be very effective. Surgery to remove the tumor is the main treatment for most bone cancers. For those that cannot be removed with surgery, radiation or chemotherapy can help control the cancer and keep it from growing or spreading. Bone-strengthening medicines can also reduce the risk of bone fractures and reduce pain caused by metastases in the bones.
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Bone Cancer is rare, but it can be life-threatening. Understanding the symptoms can help you get it treated early.
Some of the earliest symptoms are pain and swelling where the tumor is located. The pain may come and go at first, but then it may become constant.
Your healthcare provider may also use X-rays and blood tests to diagnose bone cancer. They may also order a biopsy to test the tissue for cancer cells.
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Pain is the most common symptom of bone cancer. It usually starts as a mild ache that comes and goes, but becomes constant and worsens over time. It may happen at certain times of the day or night and get worse with physical activity. It also happens when the affected bone is touched or flexed (bent). Bone cancer can cause pain in any bone, but it’s most often felt in long bones of the legs and arms. It can also occur in the wrists, ankles, feet, and knees. Cancer in these bones is often mistaken for arthritis in adults and growing pains in children and teenagers, which can delay diagnosis.
The pain from bone cancer is caused by the growth of the tumor and damage to surrounding tissue. The cancer interrupts the balance between cells that break down and build up bone. This can cause weakened bone, or excessively built-up bone that presses on nerves and causes pain. The pain may also be caused by the bone breaking (fracturing) or if it reaches nearby tissues, such as nerves and blood vessels.
Other symptoms of bone cancer depend on the type and stage of the cancer. For example, cancer that has spread to the bones from another part of the body is called metastatic bone cancer. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are two types of cancer that often begin in the bones but are not considered primary bone cancers. They start in plasma cells that line the bone marrow, the area inside the bones where white and red blood cells are produced.
A doctor can diagnose bone cancer by taking a sample of the affected bone and examining it under a microscope. The doctor can also treat the cancer with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
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A loss of appetite can be a sign that you have bone cancer. It may be more noticeable if your cancer treatment makes you feel sick (nauseous). If your loss of appetite is because of your cancer treatment, try eating foods that are high in calories and drink liquids that contain a lot of nutrients, such as milk, fruit juices, smoothies, soups, cocoa, Ovaltine or nutritional drinks such as Boost(r) or Carnation Instant Breakfast(r).
Your doctor will take details about your symptoms and examine you. They will ask about any previous health problems and treatments you have had. This will help them decide what type of treatment is best for you.
Bone cancer, also called bone sarcoma, develops when abnormal cells that normally grow and replace other cells in the bone become cancerous and multiply too quickly to be absorbed into the bone. They can also form from cancer that has spread into the bone from another part of the body.
Most types of primary bone cancer are very rare. But cancer that starts in other parts of the body and then spreads to the bone is more common. This is known as secondary bone cancer.
If your bone cancer is at a very early stage, you might have surgery to remove the tumor and any surrounding tissue. If it is at an advanced stage, you might have chemotherapy and radiotherapy to control the cancer and relieve your symptoms. You might also have an operation to remove the cancer that has spread to your lungs or other bones. You might also have regular tests to check for cancer that has returned. This may include chest X-rays, blood tests and MRI scans.
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Bone cancer symptoms vary depending on the type and location of the tumor. The most common symptom is pain, especially when it’s at rest or at night and not relieved by medication. It is also sometimes accompanied by a lump or mass. It may also cause a bone to break or fracture, although this is rare because of the way the cancer affects the bones.
If a tumor is in a bone in the neck, it can interfere with breathing, which may be difficult or painful. Occasionally, bone cancer can spread to the lungs or other organs in the body. This is called metastatic bone cancer.
Usually, only malignant (cancerous) bone tumors cause these symptoms. They can start in any bone, but most often begin in the pelvic bones or long bones of the arms and legs. The most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which forms in new tissue in growing bones, particularly those in children and teens. Another common type of bone cancer is Ewing sarcoma, which forms in immature nerve tissue within the bone marrow.
Benign bone tumors can also cause these symptoms, but they are not as serious as a cancerous one. A benign tumor is not a cancer and does not spread to other parts of the body.
A doctor will diagnose a bone tumor by examining a person and taking X-rays. X-rays show the size of the tumor and how it is arranged in the bone. The doctor can then classify the tumor as stage 1 or stage 2. A tumor in a single bone is a low-grade tumor and has not spread beyond the area of the bone where it started.
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The pain and other symptoms of bone cancer can make it difficult to move around. You may need to use crutches or a wheelchair if the tumour is in your leg or hip, or surgery has removed part of the bone. You might be able to get back some mobility with exercise and medicines that can help the pain.
If the cancer has spread to the bones from somewhere else in your body, this is called secondary bone cancer. It is more common in adults, especially older people. It can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to those of other health problems. Your doctor will ask about your past health and do a physical exam. They will feel areas of pain or tenderness and look for swelling. Blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC) and levels of calcium and alkaline phosphatase, can help your doctor find out whether the cancer has spread.
Bone cancer may grow slowly or quickly, and it is harder to treat when it has spread to the bones. Your doctor might suggest radiation therapy, which uses high energy rays to destroy or damage cancer cells. They might also give you chemotherapy to prevent the cancer from growing or spreading.
Your medical team will talk to you about palliative care, which aims to improve your quality of life by relieving your symptoms. This might include medicine that can control the pain and a physical therapist to help you move around. They might also recommend support groups, such as Macmillan Cancer Support. You can also find support on online forums for people with bone cancer. This can help you talk to other people who have had the same experience and ask questions.
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Bone cancer can cause pain and other symptoms, but it is rare. It usually occurs in long bones, such as the bones in the legs or upper arms. It can also occur in the spine.
The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. It often starts as an ache and may become a constant pain. It may be worse at night or when you are resting. Sometimes it causes swelling and redness in the area around the affected bone. It can also lead to a lump or mass in the affected bone. Some types of bone cancer can also affect the nearby muscles and tendons. They can cause a limp or changes in the way you walk. Some cancers that start in the bones of the neck can develop into a mass and cause a lump or a feeling of pressure or tightness in the back of the throat (called numbness). This may make it difficult to swallow or breathe.
Doctors don’t know what causes most bone cancers. But they do know that some things increase the chances of getting them. These include having radiation therapy or chemotherapy for other cancers in the past. They can also happen because of inherited conditions, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Paget’s disease of bone.
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and do a physical exam. They will want to know how long the symptoms have been happening. They will also do imaging tests, such as x-rays. These can show the tumor and how big it is. They can also show whether the cancer has spread to other areas of your body. Your doctor may also order other tests to check for a bone cancer, such as a blood test or a biopsy.
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X-rays can show the shape, size, and location of a tumor. Doctors may also order an MRI or CT scan to get more detailed pictures.
They might give you radiation, which shrinks the tumor with high doses of X-rays. They might also use chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells with medicine that you take by mouth or through a tube inserted into a blood vessel.
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Many different tests may be done to diagnose bone cancer. They include X-rays, which show the location and size of a tumor in a bone. They may also be used to check for cancer that has spread to the lungs. Blood and urine tests can also help to find out if the tumor is benign or malignant. Your doctor may order a blood test called alkaline phosphatase to see if there are high levels of active bone-forming cells. These are usually highest when bones are growing or repairing themselves, but they can rise in bone cancer as well.
If the x-rays or other tests suggest that the tumor is cancerous, your doctor will want to take a sample of tissue for further examination. The tissue can be removed with a needle (fine needle aspiration), core needle biopsy, or open biopsy. For a fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy, the doctor numbs the area with local anesthesia and inserts a thin needle into the bone under CT guidance to collect fluid or cell samples. For an open biopsy, the surgeon makes a small incision to remove a larger piece of tissue.
The tissue samples are sent to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope to find out the stage of the cancer. The doctor will use the results to plan your treatment.
In some cases, the cancer is in a single bone and has not spread beyond it. This is known as stage 1.
Other cases of bone cancer are more serious and are in a higher stage. They are likely to grow more quickly and spread to other parts of the body. This is known as stage 2.
Sometimes, doctors can cure the cancer by removing the bone tumor and some of the surrounding bone. This is known as limb salvage surgery. If the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body, your doctor will probably give you chemotherapy before and after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.
You may also be given medicines that reduce the growth of new bone cells or slow down the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. You may be invited to take part in a clinical trial that is testing new treatments for bone cancer.
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When a bone cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will use tests to find out how far it has grown inside the bone and whether it has spread. These include blood tests, X-rays and CT and MRI scans. The results of these tests help doctors decide on the best treatment for you.
For primary bone cancer that has not spread, surgery to remove the tumour is usually enough to cure you. You might also have radiation or chemotherapy before or after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells and improve your chances of a full recovery.
If a tumor has already spread to other parts of the body (stage 4), it is not possible to cure the disease with surgery alone. But you may have a combination of treatments to reduce pain and other symptoms and improve your quality of life. This might include amputation of the affected limb, radiation and chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to shrink or destroy cancer cells. You might have one or more sessions of radiation every weekday for several weeks, depending on your needs and the area of your body being treated. You might have a special type of radiation called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which lets doctors control the shape and strength of each radiation beam so they can target cancer cells more precisely.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. You might have chemotherapy before or after surgery to improve your chance of a full recovery, or both. You might also have a drug called denosumab (Xgeva), which prevents cancer cells from breaking down bone tissue.
If the cancer has spread to other bones or organs, you might have surgery to remove the tumor and then chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. You might also have a combination of these therapies.
Some people develop pain after treatment for bone cancer, especially if the surgery involved removing part of their limb. This can be hard to deal with, and you might need extra care at home. If you have ongoing problems with pain, your doctor might suggest that you try taking stronger pain medications.
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After treatment, people with bone cancer need follow-up care to watch for recurrence and manage side effects. Follow-up usually includes physical examinations, medical tests and imaging tests like a bone scan or a computed tomography (CT) scan. The doctor will also check if any symptoms, such as bone pain or swelling, come back. The doctor will discuss what kind of follow-up is needed, depending on the type of cancer and how it responded to treatment.
The chance that cancer will return to the bone is greatest within five years after treatment. This is why people with high-grade tumours may need close follow-up for a longer time than those with low-grade tumours.
People with bone sarcoma should tell the doctors about any new symptoms, such as pain or swelling. This is because these can be signs that the cancer has returned or of another medical problem.
Bone cancers can occur in any bone in the body. However, they most commonly start in the long bones of the arms and legs or in the knee area. They are most common in children and teenagers, but can affect people of any age. The most common types of bone cancer are osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Other rare cancers that can occur in the bones are leiomyosarcoma, angiosarcoma and pleomorphic sarcoma.
Blood tests are often used to see if the bone cancer is coming back. These tests include checking the levels of a chemical in the blood called alkaline phosphatase, which is raised by some bone cancers. Other tests include measuring calcium levels in the blood. High levels of calcium in the blood can cause symptoms such as bone pain or a mass in the bone.
Many cancers that start in the bone can spread to other parts of the body. These are called secondary bone cancers and are named after the place in the body where they started, for example lung or breast cancer that has spread to the bone. People with metastatic bone cancer should be followed by doctors who are specially trained in this area.
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Bone is the hard connective tissue that makes up the skeleton and gives shape to the body. It also supports and protects many of the body’s delicate organs. Most bone begins as cartilage, a firm rubbery tissue that cushions bones and joints. When the cells in bone or cartilage change and start growing out of control, it may lead to a tumor, or cancerous mass. A tumor can be either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Cancer that starts in a bone is called primary bone cancer. It is less common than cancer that starts in another part of the body and spreads to the bone, which is more often seen in adults.
While experts don’t know what causes most bone cancers, they do know some things that increase your risk. These include being older, having certain genetic disorders, and having a condition that affects how your bones grow (such as Paget disease). Bone cancer can also be caused by radiation therapy used to treat other conditions. This can cause a type of cancer called osteosarcoma. Bone cancer can also be caused by taking certain drugs, especially alkylating agents or anthracyclines.
When a bone cancer is found, treatment depends on the type and stage of the tumor. It may involve surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these. Surgery to remove a tumor and surrounding healthy tissue is the most common treatment. Amputation of a limb might be needed if the tumor is very large or reaches nearby nerves and blood vessels.
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells with X-rays and might be used before or after surgery. Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. It might be given by mouth or intravenously. Targeted therapy targets specific genetic, protein, or other changes in or around cancer cells. You might be able to take part in a clinical trial of new treatments.
After treatment, regular follow-up with your doctor is important to watch for problems such as problems with the heart, lungs, or bones. You should also have a complete physical exam every year.
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Many bone cancers are successfully treated and never return. Others need radiation and/or chemotherapy to keep them from growing back or spreading to other parts of the body.
Ewing tumors are rare but aggressive bone cancers that most often start in the bones of children and teenagers. But they can also form in the muscles, tissues and organs of the pelvis, chest, legs or arms.
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Osteosarcoma develops from cells that normally grow new bone. But these cancer cells multiply out of control and form a mass (tumor) that can destroy nearby bone tissue. It can also spread to other parts of the body, especially the lungs. It’s the most common type of bone cancer in children and teens. It happens most often in the long bones of the legs and arms, but it can happen in any bone. It can also occur in the soft tissue around a bone. It’s more likely to be found in boys than in girls. But it can affect people of any age.
Doctors don’t know what causes osteosarcoma. But they do know that something goes wrong with the DNA in the bone cells that cause them to make too much new bone. This may lead to too many abnormal cells that cannot be used by the body, and too many that are too small to use.
Most osteosarcomas are localized, meaning that the cancer stays in the bone where it started. But some can spread to other tissues or bones, most often the lungs. This is called metastatic osteosarcoma or UPS.
Almost everyone with osteosarcoma gets chemotherapy, surgery and, sometimes, radiation therapy. Chemotherapy uses strong medicines to kill cancer cells. These are given in a vein (IV). The medicine can shrink the tumor, which makes it easier for the surgeon to remove. It can also kill any cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body.
Surgery usually involves removing the cancer and part of the bone it grew in. The doctor can replace this bone, so the joint will work normally. This is called “limb-sparing surgery.” Some children and teenagers get chemotherapy with this kind of surgery.
Radiation is another treatment that uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink a tumor. It can be given in a machine outside the body or by using seeds, wires or catheters placed inside the body. The doctor may do this before or after surgery or with chemo. Some kids and teenagers with osteosarcoma get a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. They need to have regular follow-up visits with their doctor.
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Some tumors in bone are benign, meaning they do not spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors grow slowly, and in many cases they do not require treatment at all. However, if the benign tumor is large enough to cause pain, it may need to be removed. Benign tumors usually do not return after removal.
Other types of cancers can also develop in the bones, and these are known as metastatic bone cancers. They typically form from primary cancers that have spread from other parts of the body. Examples of primary cancers that can metastasize to the bones include breast, prostate, lung and thyroid cancer.
Bone cancers that start in the bone are known as primary bone cancers, and these are more likely to be life-threatening than cancers that start in other parts of the body and spread to the bones. Some examples of primary bone cancers include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
A biopsy is a procedure that doctors use to determine if a tumor in a bone is benign or malignant. A doctor will remove a small piece of tissue from the tumor to examine it under a microscope. The cells of the tumor will be classified as either low grade or high grade based on how much they resemble normal cells. High grade cells tend to spread faster than low grade cells.
Depending on the results of the biopsy, the doctor may recommend monitoring the tumor or treating it. In some cases, the doctor may order X-rays or other tests to see how the tumor changes over time. Some benign tumors can be treated with medication, and some will shrink on their own without surgery.
A patient who has a benign bone tumor should be monitored over time by visiting the doctor regularly and having periodic X-rays and other tests. These X-rays will help the doctor see whether the tumor is getting bigger or if it has spread to other parts of the bone. If the tumor does get larger, a surgeon may need to remove it. Patients who have benign tumors should also be monitored for signs of cancer in other organs, such as in the lungs or lymph nodes.
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Cancer that starts somewhere else in the body and spreads (metastasizes) to bone is called secondary bone cancer. This can happen when cancers that start in the breast, prostate, lung or kidney spread to bone. It can also happen when the bones are damaged by radiation from other treatments, such as chemotherapy or X-rays. Cancers that spread to the bones from elsewhere in the body can be any type, but they are most often sarcomas or metastases.
When a doctor diagnoses bone cancer, they will first order X-rays to look at the shape, size and location of the tumor. They will also order other tests to check how the cancer is growing and if it has spread.
Once doctors know the grade and stage of a tumor they can decide what treatment is best. The grade of a tumor indicates how quickly it may grow and spread, and the staging describes how far the cancer has spread.
A biopsy is a procedure where doctors remove small pieces of the tumor and examine them under a microscope. The biopsy can help doctors determine the grade and stage of the tumor. If the cancer is low grade it will likely grow and spread slowly, while high-grade tumors are more likely to spread quickly.
After a biopsy, doctors assign the cancer a number that indicates how severe it is. Stage 1 tumors are very small and have not yet spread beyond the bone where they started. Stage 2 tumors are larger than stage 1 and have spread to the marrow in the center of the bone or to nearby tissue. Stage 3 tumors have spread to other parts of the skeleton, including the lungs and lymph nodes.
A stage 4 bone cancer is more advanced than a stage 3 tumor and has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain. These cancers are more difficult to treat and are considered metastatic, meaning they cannot be cured with surgery alone.
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Blood tests that measure enzymes can help show whether a tumor is cancerous. For example, high levels of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase may be found in people with osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma. This test is not a reliable way to detect bone cancer, however, because it also appears when bones are growing or mending.
To confirm a diagnosis, your doctor will need to perform a biopsy to get a sample of tissue. A specialized type of needle, called a core biopsy, is used to remove tissue from a bone tumor. During this procedure, you will receive a local anesthetic to numb the area. Alternatively, your doctor might perform an open biopsy, in which the surgeon surgically cuts into the bone and removes tissue. Your doctor will discuss the best type of biopsy for you.
The biopsy results will help determine the stage of your bone cancer. Your doctor will explain the results to you. A low-grade tumor with no evidence of spreading (stage 0) is the most treatable. A higher-grade tumor with more advanced features (stage 3) is harder to treat.
Your doctor will recommend a treatment plan based on the stage of your tumor and its location. Most people with bone cancer will receive a combination of treatments.
Some people will need palliative care, which focuses on improving quality of life and relieving symptoms without trying to cure the disease. You might also have radiation therapy, which uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells or reduce their size.
You will need follow-up appointments every 3-12 months for several years to make sure the cancer doesn’t return and that it isn’t spreading. These appointments will be with your GP, a specialist and sometimes with other members of your health care team.