Treatment for bone cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of the various therapies to remove the tumor and destroy the cancer cells, if possible, and is usually done at the National Cancer Institute closest to where the person lives
Bone cancer can be cured, but it needs to be diagnosed early to prevent it from spreading across multiple bones. Some symptoms that may indicate your presence are pain in the bones of the spine, ribs and legs, in addition to swelling in the legs and hands, difficulty in moving or frequent fractures, for example.
Learn about other causes of bone pain in: Causes and Treatments for Bone Pain.
How to treat cancer in the bones
The treatment of bone cancer depends on the type of tumor, its size and its location, and the main types of malignant tumors of bone origin are chondrosarcomas, osteosarcomas and Ewing's tumor. Thus:
- Treatment of Chondrosarcoma: affects the cartilage and the most indicated treatment is surgery for removal of the tumor, because in the vast majority of cases chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not have the desired effect;
- Treatment of Osteosarcoma: Osteosarcoma is usually treated with chemotherapy for 3 months prior to surgery to remove the tumor;
- Treatment of Ewing's Tumor : Treatment is complex and encompasses the combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.
Another possibility is to use medicines based on monoclonal antibodies like Herceptin and Zometa.
The purpose of the treatments is to destroy cancer cells and remove the tumor without amputating the affected limb, in some cases it is possible to place a metal implant or use the bone of a donor to maintain limb functionality and do the activities of the day-to-day life.
Food is very important to facilitate the work of the immune system and beat the cancer. The most indicated foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, being important to restrict the consumption of foods rich in fat and sugar to help in the desinflamación of the organism. See the foods most indicated to fight cancer.
See too:
- Radiation Therapy - What It Is and Side Effects
- What to Eat to Relieve the Effects of Radiation Therapy
- See what are and how to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy
What causes bone cancer?
Bone cancer can be primary, when it primarily affects some bone or secondary bone, when it is derived from metastases from elsewhere in the body, such as breast, prostate, thyroid, lung or kidney cancer, for example.
Cancer can develop in any bone, however, it mainly affects the longer bones, such as the arms and legs, vertebrae of the spine or hip.
To diagnose the malignant tumor it is necessary to make imaging tests like x-ray and magnetic resonance, besides a biopsy to identify the type of tumor and its location, to adapt the treatment.
