Treatment of bone cancer

Bone cancer is a type of cancer that occurs as a malignant tumor in the bone. Cancer-causing cells often grow very quickly and have the ability to destroy healthy bone tissue, endangering the patient's life.

Bone cancer includes primary and secondary bone cancer:
Primary bone cancer : Cancer that forms in bone cells Secondary bone cancer: cancer that starts elsewhere in the body and metastasizes to bone. Bone cancer most often occurs in areas such as the femur, tibia, upper humerus, and lower radial bone.

Symptoms of bone cancer often depend on the stage of the disease. In the early stages, most of the symptoms are very faint and difficult to recognize, usually there are some signs:
Weak bones Bone pain Difficulty walking People in their 30s often feel pain limbs The limbs show signs of weakness, paralysis or sharp pain due to tumors compressing the spinal cord or compressing nerve roots. Feel a warmer bone area

In the later stages, usually stages III and IV, the cancer is more advanced and symptoms appear much more pronounced, including:
The body is in a state of fatigue, stress, fast exhaustion Abnormal sweating Anorexia, weight loss Peripheral lymphadenopathy Peripheral lymphadenopathy Persistent high fever of unknown cause Constipation, vomiting, even confusion Pale, pale skin Wounds are susceptible to infection Bacterial infection and slow healing Bleeding under the skin.

Most bone cancers are secondary cancers, because cancer cells spread from other parts to the bone, only a few cases are primary bone cancers.
Currently, the medical world still has not determined the exact cause of bone cancer, all are just risk factors. Here are a few factors that can be the main cause of the disease:
The disease is caused by a DNA error that causes cells to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. Ionizing radiation: people who are regularly exposed to ionizing during radiation therapy can change cells, leading to bone cancer. Trauma: a strong impact or external impact can become a prerequisite for bone cancer later in life.

Most people with bone cancer share a common sense of panic and fear, not knowing whether this disease can be cured or not. Although this is one of the most dangerous cancers, if detected early and treated properly can bring a high chance of survival for the patient.
To be able to choose the right treatment for each patient, doctors will rely on the initial diagnosis. A number of diagnostic tests may be performed, including:
Blood tests CT scans MRI scans X-rays Bone scans Emission tomography (PET) Bone biopsy In addition, to choose a method The appropriate treatment for bone cancer depends on a number of factors such as:
What type of bone cancer does the patient have? The location of the cancer The degree of growth of the cancer cells The cancer is localized or has spread to other parts of the body.

Below are common treatments that apply to all types of cancer, and bone cancer is no exception.
*Surgery:
Surgery is a radical method, helping to remove cancerous tumors. For bone cancer, surgery not only removes the tumor but also the healthy tissue around it. Extensive surgical techniques have reduced the number of amputations performed for people with bone cancer. These conservative surgeries often require restorations with sheet metal or bone from other parts of the body.
However, for people with cancer in places that cannot be completely removed with surgery, amputation may be the best treatment option.
* Drug therapy :
This is therapy to kill cancer cells with drugs. Some forms of drug use include intravenous, oral (capsule) forms. Types of systemic therapy used for bone cancer may include:
Chemotherapy Targeted therapy: stops the growth and spread of cancer cells while limiting damage to cells healthy cells. Immunotherapy: called biological therapy, is designed to increase the body's natural defenses against cancer. *Radiation:
A method of using radiation to damage cancer cells, and stop them from growing. However, for bone cancer, this therapy is not effective and does not meet the treatment goal. Radiation therapy can only be used for anti-pain and anti-fracture symptoms.
*Chemotherapy:
A method of using drugs to kill cancer cells, keep cancer cells from growing, dividing and making more cells.
Fast-growing bone cancers are often treated with chemotherapy before surgery. For most high-grade tumors, oncologists may give chemotherapy for 3 to 4 cycles before surgery to shrink the primary tumor and make it easier to remove. Chemotherapy before surgery can also help patients live longer because it destroys cancer cells that have spread from the original tumor. Tumor response to chemotherapy, assessed microscopically after the primary tumor has been removed, can be used to determine a better prognosis.
After recovering from surgery, patients may receive additional chemotherapy to destroy any remaining tumor cells and prevent the disease from returning.
Articles refer to the source: cancer.net