Bone Cancer

Home » Bone Cancer » Overview, Types, Incidence and Prevalence, Causes and Risk Factors

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Cancer
(Free Handout)

Overview

Bone cancer can develop in all types of bone tissue and also in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow (e.g., multiple myeloma, leukemia). Cancer that originates in bone is called primary bone cancer. Most cancers that originate in bone tissue are sarcomas (i.e., cancer that originates in connective tissue).

Cancer often spreads (metastasizes) to the bones from other sites in the body (e.g., breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer). When this occurs, the cancer cells resemble cells from the area they originated from, not bone cancer cells. This type of cancer is called metastatic bone cancer or secondary bone cancer.

Bones are a specialized type of dense tissue (called osseous tissue) that comprises the framework of the body (the skeleton). Most bones are hollow and consist of bone cells (osteocytes) embedded in calcified tissue.

Bone tissue consists of two types of cells. Osteoblasts are responsible for bone formation and osteoclasts are responsible for dissolving bone tissue. Bone tissue is always changing: new bone cells are constantly forming and old bone cells are constantly dissolving.

Bone marrow is soft tissue inside the bones that contains blood-forming cells and other cells (e.g., fat cells, plasma cells).

Types
There are a number of different types of bone tumors. Benign bone tumors (i.e., those that do not spread) include osteomas, osteoblastomas, and osteochondromas. These types of bone tumors usually are treated surgically.

The most common type of malignant (i.e., cancerous) bone tumor is osteosarcoma, which most often develops in the bones of the arms, legs, and pelvis.

Other types of bone cancer include the following:

• Chondrosarcoma (develops in the cartilage)
• Chordoma (usually develops in the spine and the base of the skull)
• Ewing's tumor (often develops in the long bones of the arms and legs)
• Fibrosarcoma (usually develops in other types of connective tissue [e.g., ligaments, tendons])
• Giant cell tumor (may be benign; usually develops in the bone of the legs or arms)
• Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH; rarely occurs in bone tissue)

Incidence and Prevalence
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2800 new cases of primary bone cancer will be diagnosed in 2006, accounting for less than .2% of all cancers. Osteosarcoma, which is the most common type, accounts for about 35% of cases; chondrosarcoma accounts for about 26%, and Ewing's tumor (usually affects children and adolescents) accounts for about 16%.

Incidence of primary bone cancer is highest in children and young adults. Osteosarcoma occurs most often between the ages of 10 and 30 and is more common in males.

Causes and Risk Factors

In most cases, the cause for bone cancer is unknown and the disease often occurs in patients who do not have identifiable risk factors. Sometimes, a genetic (inherited) mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is linked to the development of bone cancer.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a rare inherited disorder that increases the risk for developing osteosarcoma and other types of cancer, especially in children and young adults.

Other genetic risk factors include the following:

• Multiple exostoses (also called multiple osteochondromas; causes bumps on the bones that may be painful and cause deformities and fractures)
• Paget disease (chronic disease that results in deformed or enlarged bones)
• Retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina; usually occurs in children)
• Rothmund-Thompson syndrome (very rare condition; also causes a unique skin rash, sparse hair, short stature, and teeth and nail abnormalities)

Additional risk factors for bone cancer include radiation therapy (e.g., to treat cancer), especially at a young age or at high doses, and bone marrow (stem cell) transplant.

Bone Cancer Resources

	Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Cancer The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to make decisions about your cancer treatment. Print this free handout to take with you on your next office visit.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Join Our Bone Cancer Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted. June 1st is National Cancer Survivors Day Share your survival story and help others in the fight against cancer. Read cancer survivor stories already submitted.
Advertising Disclaimer To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer