Bone Cancer: What Should You Be Aware Of?

Bone cancer is an uncommon form of the disease that begins in the bone itself. It can occur in any bone in the body, but usually affects the long bones which make up the arms and legs. There are several types of bone cancer, some of which primarily affect children and others which affect adults. The term bone cancer doesn’t actually include those which begin in other parts of the body and spread to the bone later on – it only relates to cancers which start in the bone. For the former, those cancers would take on the name of the area they began, such as breast cancer that has metastasized to the bone. It also doesn’t include blood cell cancers, such as leukemia, that begin in the bone marrow. The symptoms of bone cancer include fatigue, unintended weight loss, broken bones, bone pain, and swelling and tenderness in the affected area. If you have symptoms that are bothering you, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible. Researchers are still unsure what causes bone cancer, but they know that bone cancer begins as an error in the cells. This error informs the cell to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way which forms a tumour. There are thoughts that certain people are predisposed to develop this if it is a genetic problem in their family history.

There are several different types of bone cancer, which include osteosarcoma – this is the common form of cancer which develops in children and young adults. Chondrosarcoma begins in the cartilage cells and usually affects older adults. Ewing’s sarcoma is a less clear form of cancer, as researchers are unsure where it originates. This is also more common in children and young adults. Inherited genetic syndromes are thought to be one of the main causes of bone cancer, meaning that the genetic syndrome is passed down through families which increases the risk. Paget’s disease of the bone is a precancerous condition which increases the risk of bone cancer and is more common in adults.

You should be well prepared for your appointment if you are concerned about your risk of bone cancer – the more information you can provide your GP with, the better they can diagnose your condition. There will be a lot of ground to cover, so the more preparation you can do the better. Write down any personal information you can such as recent life changes or majorly stressful events that you’ve recently gone through. Your symptoms will be the biggest indicator, so write down a list of anything you’re experiencing, even if you think it might not be relevant – it could well be a symptom. You may want to take along a friend or family member for support, as there may be a lot of information to take in, so it might be useful to have someone to help you remember the details. You should also make a note of any medication that you’re currently taking as this could hinder any treatment or diagnosis. Bone cancer is less common than some other forms of cancer, but if it is caught early there can be a good rate of treatment success. The more aware you are of your body and what is normal for you, the better equipped you will be to spot the signs if something is wrong. If you’ve been experiencing the aforementioned symptoms for a few days without them dissipating, you should speak to your GP for advice.

Categories: adults, bone, Bone Cancer, cancer, include, Symptoms, young adults

Multiple Myeloma: Is Your Bone Wellness is at Risk?

Multiple myeloma is a major health concern, as it affects the plasma cells in your body. These are the white blood cells that make antibodies, but when the cancer gets involved, abnormal plasma cells accumulate in your bones and bone marrow. This can have a damaging impact on your wellbeing, since the bone marrow is your body’s source of blood cells, so multiple myeloma interferes with the production of blood cells, and can lead to the development of bone lesions.

 

The problem with this type of cancer is that different varieties affect your wellness in different ways, and so some types are more recognisable than others. Indolent myeloma, for example, has no discernable symptoms. As it only develops slowly and does not cause bone tumours, the only things that may be seen are small increases in M plasma cells and M protein, which is an abnormal type of antibody found in myeloma patients. Solitary plasmocytoma, on the other hand, does involve a tumour which is usually found in one of your bones. This kind of multiple myeloma tends to respond well to treatment, but your doctor will have to monitor it closely.

 

As it stands, wellness experts are unsure as to what exactly causes multiple myeloma, but they do know that it begins with one abnormal plasma cell. When this cell multiplies in your bone marrow, it does so far more times than it should and – instead of multiplying and dying out like non-cancerous cells – it keeps dividing indefinitely. As a result, your body can become overwhelmed and start impairing the production of your healthy cells.

 

There aren’t many clear risk factors for multiple myeloma, but there are a few to watch out for:

 

1. Being over the age of 50 (although you’ll likely be diagnosed in your early to mid 60s)

2. Being male

3. Being of African origin

4. Being overweight or obese

5. Exposure to radiation

6. Having a job in the petroleum industry

7. Having a history of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). At least 1% of people with MGUS will also develop multiple myeloma every year.

Categories: abnormal plasma, blood cells, bone, Bone Cancer, Bone Marrow, cells, multiple, multiple myeloma, myeloma, plasma cells

Researchers Make Remarkable Bone Cancer Discovery

cancer/">Bone cancer is a complicated problem with shocking statistics. Of those whose wellbeing is affected by cancer/">bone cancer, 20% die every year. In the UK alone, bone and connective tissue cancer killed more than a thousand people in 2008.

You could argue that where wellness experts were with cancer-female/">breast cancer in the 1990s is where they are with the treatment of cancer/">bone cancer today. The standard treatment is chondrosarcoma which is restricted to removal of the affected part as they are resistant to chemo and radiotherapy. However, with advances in scientific research, and the support of organisations like Cancer Research UK, The Wellcome Trust, and Macmillan Cancer Support, the fight against cancer/">bone cancer has gathered momentum in recent times, helping to dramatically improve survival rates.

In the 1970s, roughly 50% of women with cancer-female/">breast cancer survived the disease beyond five years, but now more than 80% do. The problem with cancer research is that studies into the rarer diseases, such as sarcoma, depend heavily on small charities such as Skeletal Action Cancer Trust, cancer/">Bone Cancer Research Trust and Sarcoma UK. A large portion of these charities’ funding comes from patients and their families and friends.

Researchers at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) have been working on a research project to understand more about cancer/">bone cancer. The investigators’ findings could soon allow them to develop specific treatments for hundreds of patients with one of the more common forms of the disease. 90 of the 400 cases of primary cancer/">bone cancer in the UK each year are chondrosarcomas, which is the second most common type of cancer/">bone cancer. This cancer of the cartilage has been discovered to contain an IDH1 or IDH2 mutation in 50-65% of cases.

As a result of this understanding, the RNOH experts can develop specific drugs which could change the way you’re treated for cancer/">bone cancer in the future. The benefits of this ground-breaking research was recently recognised, as the team were awarded the Jeremy Jass Prize for Research Excellence in Pathology. The team is now working with the pharmaceutical company Agios and they hope that clinical trials will begin in the near future.

Researchers Make Remarkable Bone Cancer Discovery

Categories: bone, Bone Cancer, breast cancer, cancer, cancer research, develop specific, Mutation, Research, trust