The Dangers of Bone Cancer/Sarcoma Cancer

Cancer can strike in any part of the body, including the bones, the bone marrow and the bone’s connective tissue. One rare yet deadly type of cancer that originates in the long bones of the body is called sarcoma cancer.

Both adults and children are at risk from various types of bone cancers. Cancer in the bone can be of two types: primary and secondary. Primary bone cancer means that the cancer originated in the tissues of the bone itself, while secondary bone cancer refers to a cancer that has started elsewhere in the body and then spread to the bones.

Research is still underway as to the specific causes of primary bone cancers. The four main types of bone cancers are: Ewing’s sarcoma, chondrosarcoma cancer, spindle cell sarcoma cancer, and osteosarcoma cancer. All four share a common symptom, severe pain in the bones. This bone-pain is often misdiagnosed as arthritis in adults and as growing pains in children – making bone sarcomas deadly since they not normally detected at the earliest stages where treatment is most effective.

In addition to the pain, the bones affected by the sarcoma often have a sizeable inflammation or swelling associated with it. In certain cases a lump can be felt in the affected area – the growth of cancerous tissue in the bone. In cases where the sarcoma cancer tumors occur in or near a joint, the joint becomes extremely painful to use.

Although the exact causes of sarcoma cancers are still unknown, scientists believe that a faulty DNA strand is the primary driving force behind the erratic cell divisions that lead to mutated cancer cells. Once the process begins, these mutated cancer cells keep multiplying resulting in tumors in the bone.

A unique thing about sarcoma cancers compared to other types of cancer is that the disease can spread to the body’s lymphatic system and eventually the entire bloodstream where it affects other organs. This rapid spread throughout the body is the main reason why sarcoma cancers are considered to be much more dangerous.

Obesity has been linked as the main risk factor for bone cancer. Among the many other health risks associated with obesity (diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, etc.) bone cancer is another prime risk. There is no easy way to overcome obesity other than regular exercise, an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Daily exercise to maintain your ideal weight will go a long away in fighting obesity and stave off the horrors of bone cancer.