Bone Cancer Treated at Karmanos

Several different kinds of tumors can grow in bones: primary bone tumors, which form from bone tissue and can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous), and metastatic tumors (tumors that develop from cancer cells that formed elsewhere in the body and then spread to the bone). Malignant primary bone tumors (primary bone cancers) are less common than benign primary bone tumors. Both types of primary bone tumors may grow and compress healthy bone tissue, but benign tumors usually do not spread or destroy bone tissue and are rarely a threat to life.

Types of primary bone cancer are defined by which cells in the bones give rise to them.

• Osteosarcoma
• Chondrosarcoma
• Ewing sarcoma
• Chordoma

Possible causes of bone cancer include:

• Previous cancer treatment with radiation, chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation.
• Certain inherited conditions.
• Certain benign bone conditions.

Pain is the most common symptom in bone cancer, but not all bone cancers cause pain. Other symptoms can include a lump (that may feel soft and warm) in the arms, legs, chest or pelvis; unexplained fever; and a bone that breaks for no known reason.