In 2022, around 1.9 million US population were diagnosed with cancer. From the number, it is obvious that cancer is part of the most common diseases and also one of the deadliest diseases. Although there are different types of cancer, a few of the most common ones include skin, breast, and lung cancer. Out of all these common ones, there is one cancer that is quite rare in individuals and only makes up less than one per cent of all cancers. This cancer is commonly known as bone cancer or Osteosarcoma.

1. University Cancer Center
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3. HOW LONG CAN YOU HAVE BONE CANCER WITHOUT KNOWING
(BRIEF GUIDE)?
What Is Bone Cancer?
What Are The Various Types Of Bone Cancer?
What Makes Bone Cancer Get Unattended For So Long?
Common Signs And Symptoms Of Bone Cancer
What Are The Causes Of Bone Cancer?
What Are The Risk Factors For Bone Tumor or Cancer?
Staging And Diagnosing Bone Cancer
How Can You Treat Bone Cancer?
Is Bone Cancer Fatal? What’s The Survival Rate Of Bone Cancer?

4. What Is Bone Cancer?
When we talk about bone cancer, you should know that this term is used for various cancers that develop in a person’s
bones. The development of cancer cells in your bone can damage the bone tissue. Since bone cancer is a broad term,
you might want to know how doctors determine the bone cancer type you have. It’s actually determined based on your
tissue, and cell type cancer started developing.
Cancers that originate from the bone itself are known as primary bone cancers. There are also tumors that start
developing from organs as well as the other parts of the body, which later spread to the bones and other parts. These
growths of cancer cells are referred to as metastatic or secondary bone cancers. In most cases, the lung, prostate, and
breast tumors spread or metastasize to the bones.
Cancers that originate from the bone itself are known as primary bone cancers. There are also tumors that start
developing from organs as well as the other parts of the body, which later spread to the bones and other parts. These
growths of cancer cells are referred to as metastatic or secondary bone cancers. In most cases, the lung, prostate, and
breast tumors spread or metastasize to the bones.

5. What Are The Various Types Of Bone Cancer?
•Osteogenic Sarcoma (Osteosarcoma)
This type of bone cancer is more common in children and adolescents. However, Osteosarcoma can even happen in
adults. In the maximum number of cases, this cancer starts developing at the long bone tips in the legs and arms. This
cancer harms the hard tissue that works as outer layer protection for your bones. Furthermore, osteogenic sarcoma may
develop in your shoulders, hips, and other locations.
•Ewing’s Sarcoma
We have Ewing’s sarcoma as the second number in our common primary bone cancer list. This cancer originates from the
soft tissue close to the bones or even directly in the bones. You will find this cancer more common in young adults as well
as children. Normally, it affects the person’s long bones like legs, arms as well as pelvis.
Chondrosarcoma
Chondrosarcoma is more common among older adults and usually develops in the thigh, shoulders, and pelvis areas. It
develops in the subchondral tissue, a tough connective tissue between a person’s bones. However, its rare cases make it
the least common primary bone cancer.
•Multiple Myeloma
MM (Multiple myeloma) is known to be the most common cancer type, which involves bones. But, this cancer is not part
of primary bone cancer since it originates in the plasma cells. This cancer happens when cancer cells develop in a person’s
bone marrow, leading to tumors in different bones. MM is more common in older adults.

6. What Makes Bone Cancer Get Unattended For So Long?
You might be curious about how one can have bone cancer for such a long period without knowing. The main
reason is that identifying bone cancer in its initial stage is difficult since a person will not show any major signs or
symptoms of having it. And unless the person goes to a doctor and undergoes multiple tests, identifying it with
only visual inspections becomes very difficult.
Since bone cancer starts in the bones, it’s impossible to know about it through the naked eye. For that reason,
bone cancer in a person can go undetected for five years and even more in a few cases. This long delay can lead
to difficulty providing treatment and diagnosing the person’s exact condition.
As bone cancer shows no major symptoms, you need to take the help of doctors who have the right tools to
diagnose your hidden cancer and other health conditions. They use tests like CT scans, X-rays, and MRIs to
diagnose a patient’s condition.
So, a person may not realize they have bone cancer unless they enter the critical stage. And thus, this increases
the importance of regular screenings in individuals. So, how will you know whether you have bone cancer? For
that, you must be aware of bone cancer signs and symptoms, which we will discuss now.

7. Common Signs And Symptoms Of Bone Cancer
Here are some of the common symptoms and signs of bone cancer:
•a feeling of pain and unexpected swelling in the affected bones area
•a noticeable hard mass in the long bones of a person’s chest, limbs, or pelvis
•an extra feeling of fatigue and tiredness
•extreme pain in bones, especially at night
•less flexibility and increased difficulty while moving
•bone pain due to minor trauma
Some less common symptoms of bone cancer include:
•fever
•unexpected weight loss
•easy broken bone injuries

8. What Are The Causes Of Bone Cancer?
•Atypical Cellular Growth
If you are familiar with the term cell, you may know that our body has millions of them. In these cells, there are both
healthy and unhealthy old cells. Our body continuously produces new healthy cells, which later on divide to take the place
of older cells. In this process of replacing, the older cells die. But cells like atypical cells don’t get eliminated in the process
and are called abnormal cells for that reason. These cells don’t necessarily cause cancer, but if a large mass of tissue is
formed, it can lead to tumors.
•Chromosomal Mutations
Genetic or chromosomal mutations are one of the causes which can increase the chances of bone cancer, and it might be
inherited. However, such cases are rare, and you will likely not develop bone cancer. Also, radiation can be a cause of
mutations, but there isn’t any particular cause of it.
•Radiation Therapy
You may have heard of radiation therapy, which is highly popular for killing cancer cells. This treatment is also quite
effective for treating bone cancer.
However, there are chances that people might develop Osteosarcoma after taking radiation therapy. This mostly happens
when there is the use of large doses of radiation.

9. What Are The Risk Factors For Bone Tumor or Cancer?
So, now you know the potential causes that might lead to bone cancer. Now, let’s get familiarized with the risk factors for
bone cancer.
This includes:
•a history of bone cancer or any other cancer in the family
•case of receiving radiation therapy or treatment in the past
•history of Paget disease that causes the growth of bones atypically
•a part of having multiple tumors in the cartilage
•having Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, or Bloom syndrome, increasing the risk of cancer
development.

10. Staging And Diagnosing Bone Cancer
Primary bone cancer is classified into different stages. The cancer stage tells the cancer position, progress rate, and effect
on other body parts.
•Stage 1: The bone tumor is localized and still low-grade.
•Stage 2: The tumor is high-grade but still localized.
•Stage 3: The cancer is high-grade and has spread to areas within the bone.
•Stage 4: The tumor had spread from one bone to other body areas, like the liver or lungs.
The doctor can use various methods to diagnose the cancer stage in the bones, including:
•Biopsy: It involves analyzing a small tissue sample in order to diagnose cancer
•Bone scan: Basically involves diagnosing the bones condition
•Blood test: Used to establish a baseline that can be used during treatment
•Imaging test: Use of CT scan, X-rays, MRI, and PET, to know a defined structure of the bones

11. How Can You Treat Bone Cancer?
•Surgery: This treatment involves removing affected tissue as well as tumors surgically. Surgery also involves removing
and replacing the affected bone, which can stop cancer growth from spreading rapidly. However, this type of surgery is
only used when you think you are ready for it or if that’s the only way to save you from cancer. You may need
amputation if there is high bone damage in the legs or arms.
•Radiation therapy: This treatment involves high doses of X-rays that help shrink and eliminate tumors. Many doctors will
use radiation therapy before surgery to reduce the tumor size, so there is no need to remove large tissue, and only less
tissue is needed to be removed.
•Chemotherapy: This treatment involves using medicines to kill every cancer cell in the body. The usual way to take anti-
cancer medicines consists of swallowing pills or injecting them into your body through a vein. Doctors can use
medication to treat both secondary and primary bone cancers.

12. Is Bone Cancer Fatal? What’s The Survival Rate Of Bone Cancer?
The answer is not usually when we talk about whether bone cancer is fatal. Of course, there are cases where people die
of bone cancer. However, in most cases, a person can make a full recovery from bone cancer. The five-year survival rate
for bone tumors is around 66.8%. This implies that 66.8% of the population survived bone cancer even after five years of
their diagnosis.
Make sure you remember that this survival rate is based on people who have survived bone cancer in the past. Don’t
make it a standard for how long you will live since it can vary from person to person. You must consult your health
provider to learn bone cancer survival rates in your case.
Most people will be able to survive bone cancer by undergoing treatment. People in the early stage of bone cancer have
more chances to go through full recovery. In the later stages of bone cancer, the survival rate decreases drastically.

13. Conclusion
Bone cancer is uncommon, and a person’s chances of developing primary bone cancer are few. Your survival rate will
depend on the stage of your bone cancer, size, and the affected area. If bone cancer is detected early, the chances of
survival increase drastically. So, see if you have symptoms that can be signs of bone cancer in you. Meet your doctor to
know the best treatment plan for you.
University Cancer Centers help you find the best treatment plan for your cancer. We are a team of professional doctors
who diagnose your condition, learn about your medical history, and accordingly recommend the best treatment plan.
Radiation therapy may not work for every patient and can be even risky for many. Our healthcare providers see if the
treatment we recommend is actually good for you and safe.
Contact us at (713) 474-1414 to book an appointment with our professional healthcare providers to get a perfect
treatment plan for your bone cancer.