Bone cancer in children that often occurs is osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Children who suffer from bone cancer can show symptoms that vary. This depends on the location and size of the cancer. To find out more about bone cancer in children, consider the following review.
Bones have a role to form structure and support the body, protect important organs, such as the lungs, heart and brain, help the body to move, make blood cells, and as a place to store minerals, such as calcium. Because of its important function, bone health needs to be maintained properly.
There are various disorders that can occur in the bone. One of them is bone cancer, which can occur in both adults and children. This condition will make the bones change shape, brittle and easily broken.
Types of Bone Cancer in Children
Bone cancer is a malignant bone tumor. Bone cancer in children is actually rare. Only about 3% of cases of cancer in children occur due to bone cancer. This cancer can develop in any part of the body's bones. However, most bone cancers in children occur in the legs and arms.
Bone cancer in children is a dangerous disease because it can damage healthy bone tissue permanently. In addition, cancer can also spread from one part of the bone to another bone or other organ.
There are two types of bone cancer that most often occur in children, namely:
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that most often occurs in children, especially adolescents. Osteosarcoma generally attacks large, long bones with fast growth, such as the bones of the arms, knees and legs.
If not treated immediately, this type of bone cancer can spread to other bones or to certain organs, such as the lungs.
Some symptoms that can appear in osteosarcoma are:
- Swelling and redness of the bone affected by the tumor.
- Bone or joint pain, especially after activities or at night.
- Easily injured or broken bones.
- Hard lumps on the skin.
- Movement becomes limited if the tumor is in the joint.
- Difficulty walking or limping if the lump is in the area of the foot or leg.
Ewing's Sarcoma
This type of bone cancer in children is more rare. Ewing's sarcoma more often attacks children who want to enter adolescence. Ewing's sarcoma bone cancer is more common in boys than girls.
This cancer often occurs in the pelvis, chest and ribs, and legs or feet. Sometimes Ewing's sarcoma can also attack the bones of the arms, hands, skull and spine.
In addition to the bones, this type of cancer can also develop in the soft tissue around the bone. Some of the symptoms of Ewing's sarcoma are:
- Pain and swelling in the bones affected by cancer. These symptoms can last for weeks or months.
- Bone pain that worsens at night or during physical activity.
- The appearance of a lump in the skin that feels painful and warm to the touch.
- Often feel tired.
- Frequent fever.
- It's easy to experience a broken bone for no apparent reason.
- Lost weight.
- Difficulty walking.
The cause of osteosarcoma bone cancer and Ewing's sarcoma is not known with certainty. So far, Ewing's sarcoma is known to be unrelated to radiation exposure, chemical compounds, or other environmental factors. While osteosarcoma bone cancer is said to be more risky to occur in children who have undergone radiation therapy or exposure to strong radiation.
To treat bone cancer in children, surgery is often required, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Whatever the type, bone cancer in children is a condition that needs to be examined by a doctor. The sooner it is treated, the greater the chance of recovery. This cancer becomes difficult to treat if it has spread to other organs.
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