Overview
Primary bone cancers — sarcomas — arise in bone itself and are distinct from cancers that spread to bone from elsewhere. Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma most often affect children and young adults; chondrosarcoma is more common in adults. Treatment is highly specialised and combines chemotherapy with limb-preserving surgery.
Symptoms of bone cancer
- Persistent bone pain, often worse at night or with activity
- Swelling or a lump over a bone
- A fracture after minor injury
- Fever, fatigue, weight loss (Ewing sarcoma)
Risk factors
- Age — teenage growth spurt (osteosarcoma, Ewing)
- Previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy
- Inherited conditions: retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni, Paget’s disease of bone
Diagnosis
X-ray followed by MRI of the whole bone; CT of the chest and bone scan or PET-CT for staging. A carefully planned biopsy by the surgical team confirms the subtype.
Treatment at Shichim Oncocare
Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are treated with intensive multi-agent chemotherapy before and after surgery; Ewing sarcoma may also need radiotherapy. Limb-salvage surgery is now the norm. Shichim Oncocare delivers chemotherapy cycles as day-care where the protocol allows, coordinates with orthopaedic-oncology surgeons, and supports families through the long treatment course.