Bone Cancer Prevention

Anything that increases a person's chances of developing bone cancer is called a bone cancer risk factor; anything that decreases a person's chances of developing it is called a bone cancer protective factor. Bone cancer prevention means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled. While bone cancer prevention does not guarantee that someone will not develop bone cancer, it does decrease the risk of it happening. Risk FactorsAlthough some risk factors for bone cancer can be avoided, many cannot. Specific risk factors for bone cancer include: Being a child or young adult Previous radiation or...

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Types of Bone Cancer

There are different kinds of bone cancerBenign (noncancerous) Malignant (cancerous) Cancers that start in the bone (primary bone cancer) Cancers that start somewhere else in the body and end up in the bone (secondary bone cancer). Benign Versus Malignant Bone tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign bone tumors are more common than malignant bone tumors. Although both types of bone cancer may grow and compress healthy bone tissue and absorb or replace it with abnormal tissue, benign tumors do not spread and are rarely life threatening. Malignant Bone Cancer Types The three malignant types of bone cancer...

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Understanding Ewing's Sarcoma

Ewing's sarcoma is a form of bone cancer that is typically found in teenagers as they undergo growth spurts; but it can occur at any age. Early detection is key to surviving this aggressive type of bone cancer. Signs and symptoms, such as pain and swelling or unexplained fever and weight loss, should be checked out by a doctor immediately. In the United States, 250 children and adolescents are diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma each year. Although it accounts for only about 3 percent of all childhood cancers, Ewing's sarcoma is the second most common malignant bone cancer in children. In about one-third of those diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, the cancer has spread to other areas of the body by the time it’s diagnosed. When this happens, the five-year...

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