Osteosarcoma Bone Cancer Information
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2009/04/01 - Updated: 2023/01/28
Topic: Cancer and Tumors - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Information regarding bone cancer including Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer that affects the large bones of the arm or leg and occurs most often in younger individuals. Osteogenic Sarcoma affects 400 children under the age of 20 and 500 adults (most between the ages of 15-30) every year in the USA. Approximately 1/3 of the 900 will die yearly, or about 300 a year.
Introduction
Alternate names for bone cancer include: Osteosarcoma, Bone Carcinoma, Ewing's Sarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Osteogenic Sarcoma, Multifocal Osteosarcoma, Metastatic Osteosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer. It usually affects the large bones of the arm or leg and occurs most often in younger individuals. It affects more males than females. In children and adolescents, tumors often appear in the knee bones.
The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has included Bone Cancer with distant metastases or inoperable or resectable as a Compassionate Allowance Program to expedite a disability claim.
Focus
Osteogenic Sarcoma is the 6th leading cancer in children under age 15. Osteogenic Sarcoma affects 400 children under the age of 20 and 500 adults (most between the ages of 15-30) every year in the USA. Approximately 1/3 of the 900 will die yearly, or about 300 a year.
The second peak in incidence occurs in the elderly, usually associated with an underlying bone pathology such as Paget's disease, Medullary infarct, or prior irradiation.
Although about 90% of patients can have limb-salvage surgery, complications, such as infection, prosthetic loosening, non-union, or local tumor recurrence, may cause the need for further surgery or amputation.
Symptoms of Bone Cancer
Many patients first complain of pain that may be worse at night and may have been occurring for some time.
If the tumor is large, it can appear as a swelling.
The affected bone is not as strong as normal bones and may fracture with minor trauma (a pathological fracture).
Biopsy, x-rays, or blood tests may diagnose the disease.
Most Osteosarcomas arise from random and unpredictable errors in the DNA of growing bone cells during intense bone growth. There currently isn't an effective way to prevent this type of cancer. But with the proper diagnosis and treatment, most kids with osteosarcoma recover.
If the tumor is inoperable or unresectable, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be utilized, but the prognosis remains poor.
Inoperable or unresectable osteosarcoma will likely progress locally and may spread to the lungs. Radiation is effective as a palliative measure.
Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.