Understanding and Treatment of Bone Cancer

Bone cancer is a type of cancer that affects bone. This disease can diidap by children to adults.Bone cancer is divided into two, namely primary and secondary bone cancer. Named primary bone cancer where the cancer appeared and developed directly in the bone. While the secondary bone cancer is cancer that originates from other body parts that spread to the bone.The entire bone in the body can be affected by this disease, but most occur in the leg and arm bones.

Here are some of the symptoms of bone cancer, including:

• Pain. A person affected will feel the pain of bone cancer in the bone are attacked. This pain usually increases gradually and worsen, especially when the bone is moved or when the evenings.
• Swelling. The area around the affected bone cancer will experience swelling and redness. Even if swelling occurs near a joint, the joint will be difficult to move.
• Weakening of the bones. Bone cancer causes bones to become weak and brittle. Even if it is severe, falling ordinary or minor injury could make broken bones.
• The body feels tired.
• Weight loss.
• Fever.
• Sweating, especially at night.

In adults, bone pain symptoms are sometimes mistaken for arthritis. In children and adolescents, sometimes misinterpreted as a side effect of bone growth. Should see a doctor if you or your child constantly feel pain in the bones for more than three days.

Causes of bone cancer
The exact cause of bone cancer is unknown, but the condition is thought to be due to a change or mutation in DNA structures that control cell growth so that these cells continue to grow out of control. Stacking these cells then form a tumor that can invade nearby bone structure or even spread to other body parts.

Here are some factors that can increase the person's risk of bone cancer.

• High radiation exposure of a treatment experienced patients, for example radiotherapy.
• Never has a history of a type of eye cancer called retinoblastoma as a child.
• Rapid bone growth at puberty.
• Paget's disease, a condition that can lead to weak bones.
• Umbilitikus hernia disease since birth.

Types of bone cancer
Based on where the cancer cells started, there are three types of bone cancer are common, including:

• Osteosarcoma. Bone cancer is growing in the new tissue in the bone that is growing. This type usually affects the femur and fibula. Osteosarcoma can diidap anyone, but the most common are teenagers and people who just turned up.
• Ewing's sarcoma. This bone cancer develops in immature nerve tissue in bone marrow. This type usually affects the femur, fibula, and pelvis. Ewing's sarcoma is more frequent pathway to teenagers than adults.
• Chondrosarcoma. Bone cancer develop in the cartilage. Usually affects the femur, pelvis, ribs, shoulder blade and upper arm bone. Chondrosarcoma is usually diidap by people aged 30-60 years.

Stages of development of bone cancer
There are four steps that determine the severity of a disease of bone cancer, among them:

• Stage 1. At this stage the new cancer about one part of the bone and has not spread to other parts.
• Stage 2. Almost the same as stage 1, but at this stage the cancer is still in one part of the bone and has not spread. At this stage, the aggressiveness of the cancer is already noticeable.
• Stage 3. In this stage the cancer has begun to spread to more than one area at the same bone.
• Stage 4. At this stage, the cancer that eats away at the bone has spread to other parts in the body, such as lungs, liver, or brain.

Determining the severity of bone cancer can be done through diagnosis. It is useful in helping physicians to provide appropriate treatment.

Diagnosis of bone cancer
To determine whether a patient suffering from bone cancer, in addition to asking about symptoms are felt, the doctor needs to do some tests. The types of these tests include:

• Blood tests. This test can determine their bone cancer through changes in the blood. For example alkaline phosphatase enzyme levels rise due to osteosarcoma. Other uses of the blood test is to ensure that the patient is not suffering from other conditions, such as arthritis or arthritis can also cause symptoms such as pain in bone cancer.
• Biopsy. Besides being able to detect the presence of bone cancer, the test can also determine the severity of the disease, if any. A biopsy is done by taking a small sample of bone to further studied in the laboratory. This test is considered as the most accurate way to diagnose bone cancer.
• X-ray. Through this test can be known whether bone loss experienced by patients is caused by cancer or other conditions. In addition to bone destruction, bone growth is not reasonable due to cancer can also be detected through X-ray scanning.
• Bone scan. This test is done by injecting a radioactive substance into the veins. Such materials will be absorbed by the bone. Usually the bone problematic or abnormal would be more rapid absorption than normal bone. Information about the bone were obtained through bone scan is usually more detailed than that obtained through X-ray examination.
• MRI scan. Through this method, the severity of the spread of cancer in the bones can be seen. Aided by radio waves and magnetic fields, MRI scans can produce images of bones in greater detail.
• CT scan. This check is performed to find out whether bone cancer has spread, for example, to the lungs. The scan that uses a series of X-rays and computer assistance can produce detailed images of the body in the form of three-dimensional.

Bone cancer treatment
Bone cancer treatment is very dependent on the severity of the cancer, the location of the cancer, and even the type of cancer itself. However, the main treatment of bone cancer is usually done through surgery combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Some types of surgery can be done to overcome bone cancer, among them:

• Surgical removal of bone. This procedure is usually done if the cancer has not spread outside the bone. Part of bone or joint infections will be appointed for subsequent cancer is replaced with bone or artificial joint. Surgical removal is also still workable if the cancer has only recently spread to tissues around the bone.
• Amputation. Amputation is usually done if the cancer was not successfully treated by surgical removal of bone or if the bone cancer has spread, for example to the nerves, blood vessels, and skin.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment method that involves the administration of a number of drugs. In the bone cancer disease, these drugs infused into the blood vessels.

In the case of bone cancer, chemotherapy is usually done before surgery to shrink the cancer with the goal to not have to be amputated, and conducted after the operation so that the cancer does not reappear. In addition, chemotherapy can also be combined with radiotherapy to be administered to patients with Ewing's sarcoma or chemoradiation before undergoing surgery. If the bone cancer can no longer be handled in any way, chemotherapy is usually given in order to slow down the symptoms.

The timing of chemotherapy is usually divided into several cycles, with each cycle consisting of a few days. The number of cycles required by bone cancer vary, depending on the type and severity of the disease pathway by them. Each cycle of chemotherapy is usually separated by a lag time of several weeks. The purpose of giving this time lag is that patients can recuperate from the effects of chemotherapy.

Some side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss, fatigue, mouth sores, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as the weakening of the immune system. Usually these side effects will go away after chemotherapy treatment ended.

Radiotherapy
Methods of radiotherapy is done by using radiation to destroy cancer cells. In the case of bone cancer, radiotherapy may be used before or after surgery. This method can also be done to slow down the symptoms of bone cancer in patients who can no longer be treated in any way.

Radiotherapy is usually done for five sessions a week and one session usually lasts about 15 minutes.

Just as chemotherapy, radiotherapy also have side effects. Some of these include fatigue, hair loss, joint pain, nausea, irritation and redness of the skin. Generally, these side effects will go away after treatment ends radiotherapy.

Opportunities healed bone cancer
Bone cancer that has not spread to other organs or who are still localized, it is easier to handle than the bone cancer that has spread, or metastasize. It is this factor that will affect the patient's chances of recovery.

According to the study, a person diagnosed with localized osteosarcoma estimated to still have a chance of survival by 60 percent for at least the next 5 years, compared to those diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma is only a chance of 10 percent.

As for the case of bone cancer Ewing's sarcoma who have been diagnosed, patients terlokalisasinya condition estimated to still have chances of survival by 70 percent for at least the next 5 years compared to patients with metastatic conditions that have only a 30 percent chance. Just like osteosarcoma localized, most patients with localized Ewing's sarcoma also managed to recover from his illness.

In addition to the level of deployment, how severe tissue with cancer cells also can affect the patient's chance of recovery. According to the study, the odds ratio of life-stage bone cancer chondrosarcoma low with higher stage disease for at least the next 5 years was 80 percent versus 30 percent

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