Are Bone Tumors Dangerous?

What is a Bone Tumor?

Bone density is the basis of bone health. Bone density reaches its highest level between the ages of 20 and 30, depending on the amount of calcium. From this age range, it is necessary to pay attention to nutrition, exercise and injuries in order to keep the bone density level stable.

As the age progresses, the possibility of systematic diseases increases. Due to these systematic diseases, the risk of bone tumor formation increases and can be painful. Since the bone tumor often progresses without symptoms, it is very important to see a doctor as soon as the pain is felt.

Although bone tumors are generally benign, there are also malignant ones. Malignant bone tumors occur in 2 ways. Bone tumors are basically divided into two groups: Tumors of the bone itself and the penetration of tumors of other organs into the bone, that is, metastasis. Metastases in bone are more common than bone own tumors. Bone metastases are especially seen in prostate, breast, lung, thyroid gland and kidney cancers.

The bone’s own tumors are examined in two groups as benign bone tumors and malignant bone tumors. The most common type of bone cancer in the bone is called Osteosarcoma. High-grade osteosarcoma is highly aggressive and has a high tendency to spread to other organs. The grade and stage of the bone tumor is the most important part of the treatment.

Prevention of Bone Tumors
Avoiding cancer-causing substances such as cigarettes and alcohol
Increasing dietary calcium intake
Exercising regularly
Bone Tumors Risk Factors
The exact cause of most bone tumors is not yet known. However, some factors are known to be linked to the disease:

Genetic syndromes are among the factors that increase the risk of cancer.
Exposure to high doses of radiation,
Poor diet and lack of exercise
Rapid growth and rapid development of bones in children can also be risk factors for tumor formation.

What are the Symptoms of a Bone Tumor?

Generally, patients with bone tumors present to the physician with pain that initially starts with activity but can also occur at rest over time. Especially in the bones just below the skin, such as the shinbone or ribs, a gradually growing swelling may occur early. Bone cancer is characterized by pain and swelling.

More rarely, self-occurring bone fracture, the way it first appeared. Especially benign bone tumors diagnosed in childhood and adolescence can be detected incidentally on x-rays taken for other reasons.

If there is prolonged bone pain, if the severity of the pain increases gradually, if there is swelling and redness in addition to the pain, if the palpable mass and stiffness findings in the pain area are associated with injuries such as falling or bumps, bone pain accompanied by loss of appetite, weakness, involuntary weight loss, bone It is very important to see a doctor if symptoms such as a pronounced lump, limitation of movement, fatigue, fever, and rash are observed.

What Are The Ways To Prevent Bone Tumors?

Avoiding cancer-causing substances such as cigarettes and alcohol

Increasing dietary calcium intake
Exercising regularly

What Are Bone Tumors Risk Factors?

It is not a very common type of cancer in our country and it is more common in young people. The exact cause of most bone tumors is not yet known. However, some factors are known to be linked to the disease:

Genetic syndromes are among the factors that increase the risk of cancer.
Bone cancer is more common in men.
Exposure to high doses of radiation increases the risk.
Poor diet and lack of exercise can predispose to bone tumors.
Radiation applied to treat a different type of cancer in young patients may cause bone cancer in the person later.
Rapid growth and rapid development of bones in children can also be risk factors for tumor formation.
How Long Does the Tumor Live If It Spreads to the Bone?
Cancer types developed in different organs can cause secondary bone cancer. Secondary bone tumor is named according to the organ in which the tumor started. When the tumor spreads to the bone, the life span varies according to the type of tumor that metastasizes.

What Are Bone Tumor Diagnostic Methods?

First of all, the first examination that should be done is direct radiography (x-ray film) where the bones can be easily examined. The type of bone tumor can be easily distinguished and determined by X-ray.

However, since the location and type of bone tumors are very important, the surgical method and treatment to be applied also varies. For this reason, bone scintigraphy, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging methods are used to examine the neighborly relations, blood supply and prevalence of the tumor with the surrounding tissues.

While tomography is used to show all the details in the bone, MRI is preferred to see the risk of extension of the tumor in the bone or spreading to a distant point.

Bone scintigraphy can be used to see if there is metastasis. Especially in children, the only diagnostic method for long-lasting pain is x-ray.

However, after performing all these examinations, sampling, in other words biopsy, can be performed if needed in order to reach a definitive diagnosis.

What Are Bone Tumor Treatment Methods?

The most important point in the treatment of bone cancer is to save the patient’s life. The secondary is to protect the limbs and retain workability. At the last point, there is aesthetic concern. The treatment philosophy is different for each tumor group.
Benign Bone Tumor Treatment
Benign bone tumors in children may disappear spontaneously. In benign bone tumors, regular control and follow-up is more important than using the surgical method.

To apply for a surgical method; The tumor damages the body enough to cause bone fracture, adversely affects the growth of the bone, creates a shortening or curvature in the bone, there is a suspicion about the diagnosis, and there are situations such as taking samples from that area.

Purpose of benign bone tumors; Protecting the patient’s own tissue and removing the tumor from the body at a rate that prevents it from recurring, and filling the resulting bone gaps with bone patches taken from the patient himself or from the bone bank.
Malignant Bone Tumor Treatment
In malignant bone tumors, besides saving the sick organ by preserving its functions as much as possible, radiation therapy (radiotherapy) is used to prevent tumor recurrence and drug therapy (chemotherapy) to control the spread of the disease to other organs.
The treatment applied to the bone tissue in metastases does not change the general course of the patient’s tumor. The aim is to increase the patient’s quality of life by applying a treatment that allows the patient to return to daily life functions at the earliest stage.

While the treatment of patients with bone tumors 20 years ago was the amputation of the limb with the tumor, now the limbs are largely protected with new treatment methods.

Children May Have a Chance to Hold on to Life with Spare Bone!

In tumors that come to light in young children, the growth cartilage and joint face have to be cut and removed with bone. Today, instead, the bone called fibula is stitched with growth cartilage and transplanted to the patient.

Both the repair of the joint is done and a limb that has a permanent growth ability is obtained. Thanks to this procedure, which can be applied to young children, children can perform many physical activities without any disability.

Gaps In Bones Can Be Filled With New Bones!

In some patients, the tumor may have turned into covering the entire thigh bone. The “fibula“, which is the spare bone, can be combined to fill the space inside the bone. What is expected after the operation is the healing and attachment of the bone placed within a period of 1 year. When the body bone is accepted, everything can return to its normal pace.

Treatment Can Be Done With The Bone Frozen At 180 Degrees!

The tumorous bone removed by surgery is frozen in -180 degrees liquid nitrogen blood. The freezing process has little effect on the strength of the bone. The frozen bone is either filled with bone cement or the spare bone fibula can be embedded in the frozen bone.

Thanks to the freeze protection process, the risk of infection is greatly reduced. However, in order for this method to be applied, the tumor should not damage the bone structure too much.

"The content of the page is for informational purposes only. Consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment."