Bone Cancer
With approximately 2,500 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States, primary bone cancer is rare. Bones are more commonly the site of tumors that result from the spread (metastasis) of cancer from another organ, such as the breasts, lungs, and prostate. The incidence of bone cancer is increased in families with familial cancer syndromes.
Types of Bone Cancer
The most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which develops in new tissue in growing bones. Evidence suggests that Ewing’s sarcoma, another form of bone cancer, begins in immature nerve tissue in bone marrow. Another type of cancer, chondrosarcoma, arises in cartilage.
Bone Cancer Treatment Information
Benign bone cancer may not require treatment but may be assessed periodically to check for progression or regression. Surgical removal may be necessary.
Treatment for malignant bone cancer that has spread depends upon the primary tissue or organ involved. Radiation therapy with chemotherapy or hormone therapy is commonly used.
Primary malignant bone cancer (tumors that start in the bone) is rare and requires treatment at centers with experience treating these cancers. After biopsy, a combination of chemotherapy and surgery is usually necessary.
Bone Cancer Information
Learn more about bone cancer at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University. As a national leader in cancer care & research and ranked among the best treatment facilities in the country, it is one of only 38 cancer centers in the nation designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. NCI designation is an assurance of excellent care and comprehensive treatment options, including access to the latest clinical trials.
Bone Cancer information courtesy of the National Cancer Institute
Copyright: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
and North Carolina Baptist Hospital. All rights reserved.
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
(336) 716-2011