Bone cancer-The most common form of bone sarcoma in adults is chondrosarcoma. It usually occurs in adults between sixtey and eighty years old. This form of cancer is treated by surgery alone, as radiation therapy and chemotherapy are not effective. When you find that you have bone cancer, it is important to differentiate whether this cancer has spread from another site to the bones or whether the cancer originated in the bone tissue itself. Some types of primary bone cancer are osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and chondrosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma - develops in growing bones, usually between ages 10 and 25
Chondrosarcoma - starts in cartilage, usually after age 50
Ewing's sarcoma - begins in nerve tissue in bone marrow of young people, often after treatment of another condition with radiation or chemotherapy. Secondary bone cancer is cancer that spreads to the bone from another part of the body (such as the prostate, breast, or lung). Estimated new cases and deaths from cancer of the bones and joints in the United States in 2009:
New cases: 2,570
Deaths: 1,470
Symptons of bone cancer are patients may present with persistent pain, swelling, or tenderness of a bone. They may have unexplained fracture of one or more bones, sometimes without noticeable trauma.