What Is Osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer. It generally affects children and young adults between the ages of 10 years old and 20 years old. It is one of three different types of bone cancer. This type of cancer begins in the tissue part of a growing bone. Males normally are diagnosed with bone cancer than females and of those males, very rarely are those of African-American descent or Asian descent among them as it most affects Caucasian males. It is the most common form of bone cancer with Chondrosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma trailing behind it.
Teens are most commonly affected during a growth spurt when osteoblasts (the cells that make bones grow) somehow have an error in its DNA. For whatever reasons, Osteosarcoma is normally found in the knees, although it is also commonly found in the hips, upper legs and pelvis as well. It is not known why these cells begin to malfunction in some youngsters during a growth spurt, but with a thorough and quick diagnosis and removal of the tumor, along with the resilience that accompanies those of a young age, it is most likely that you will recover.
Those children who are most at risk for getting bone cancer are those who have inherited rare cancer syndromes or who have already been diagnosed (often times at a much younger age) with retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina) or a rare inherited genetic mutation called Li-Fraum Syndrome. Radiation is generally the treatment for these types of diseases, which some experts believe can lead to errors in future DNA creation.
Osteosarcoma generally begins as a tender spot with pain that is localized into one area of the body (usually in the leg region). Other symptoms to take notice of if you suspect bone cancer are fractures in the bone that you cannot explain how you got them, sudden anemia, weight loss that is unintended or an unexplained limp not caused by any accident that your child can recall. An MRI, x-ray or other image scanning will be able to predict the presence of tumors or growths on the bone and a biopsy will be able to determine whether or not the tumors are malignant or benign.
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