Bone Marrow Diseases—Bone Cancer

Cancer that starts in a bone is uncommon. Cancer that has spread to the bone from another part of the body is more common.

There are three types of bone cancer:

• Osteosarcoma – occurs most often between ages 10 and 19. It is more common in the knee and upper arm.
• Chondrosarcoma – starts in cartilage, usually after age 40
• Ewing’s sarcoma – occurs most often in children and teens under 19. It is more common in boys than girls.

The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. Other symptoms vary, depending on the location and size of the cancer. Surgery is often the main treatment for bone cancer. Other treatments may include amputation, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Because bone cancer can come back after treatment, regular follow-up visits are important.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

• After chemotherapy – discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bone lesion biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bone tumor (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ewing sarcoma (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Osteosarcoma (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Understanding Chemotherapy – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Cancer Institute) – PDF
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Cancer Institute) – PDF

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of your bones, such as your hip and thigh bones. It contains stem cells. The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting.

With bone marrow disease, there are problems with the stem cells or how they develop:

• In leukemia, a cancer of the blood, the bone marrow makes abnormal white blood cells
• In aplastic anemia, the bone marrow doesn’t make red blood cells
• In myeloproliferative disorders, the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells
• Other diseases, such as lymphoma, can spread into the bone marrow and affect the production of blood cells

Causes of bone marrow diseases include genetics and environmental factors. Tests for bone marrow diseases include blood and bone marrow tests. Treatments depend on the disorder and how severe it is. They might involve medicines, blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant.

• Bone marrow aspiration (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bone marrow culture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bone marrow transplant (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bone marrow transplant – discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Myelofibrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Polycythemia vera (Medical Encyclopedia)