Ewing’s Sarcoma Cancer – Diagnosis and Treatment

First identified by American pathologist Dr. James Ewing in the 1920s, Ewing’s sarcoma is a type of cancer where the tumors mainly grow on the bones and in the soft tissues near the bones.

Affecting mainly adolescents and teenagers, Ewing’s sarcoma tumors can develop in the bones anywhere in the body but are typically found in the arms, legs, ribs, spinal column, and pelvis.

Treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma typically involves surgery followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy. With proper treatment children stricken with Ewing’s sarcoma have a high survival rate with a strong chance of full recovery, provided that the cancer has been detected early enough.

Symptoms of Ewing’s Sarcoma

Ewing’s sarcoma can be a difficult cancer to detect. Because it affects adolescent children and teenagers, general practitioners have a tendency to misdiagnose symptoms of Ewing’s Sarcoma as common growing pains or sports injuries. The slow growth rate of the cancer also makes it difficult to identify early.

An indication of Ewing’s sarcoma is a painful soreness at the site of the tumor, combined with swelling and warmth. The pain is exacerbated during periods of exercise or at night. A few weeks after the first signs of pain a tender lump will develop at the site of the affected area – this is sometimes accompanied by a low grade fever. Ewing’s sarcoma tumors in the leg bones will often result in a noticeable limp in the child.

Additional symptoms will appear once the cancer metastasizes and spreads throughout the body. Lungs and bone marrow are usually the next organs to be affected as Ewing’s sarcoma progresses. Children suffering from undiagnosed cases of Ewing’s sarcoma will also sometimes break their arms and legs for no discernible reason.

Children with any of the above symptoms should be taken to see a doctor immediately. When it comes to Ewing’s sarcoma in children, early detection and treatment is the key – waiting for the symptoms to resolve themselves without medical intervention will only lead to a more advanced stage of the cancer.

Diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma

Diagnosis of suspected cases of Ewing’s sarcoma involves a thorough examination of the child’s medical history as well as a complete physical examination combined with MRI scans and bone scans. The scans are done to detect any abnormal growths in the child’s bone structure that could point to signs of a tumor. Tumor samples are then biopsied in the lab to determine if it is indeed cancerous tissue.

Biopsies of Ewing’s sarcoma tumors can be done through traditional surgical methods where a portion of the tumor is removed in an operating room with the child under general anesthetic. Another method is by using a needle biopsy, where a long hollow needle is employed to directly remove a sample of the cancerous tissue.

Once diagnosed, the next step is to undertake further imaging tests to see if the cancer has metastasized and spread to other parts of the body. Vital organs like the heart, kidneys and lungs are examined to ensure they are healthy and will withstand the rigors of cancer treatment.

During treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma the patient is kept under constant observation by the doctors, with subsequent imaging tests ordered to see how well the treatments are working and if the cancer has stopped spreading.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for Ewing’s sarcoma

Treating Ewing’s sarcoma depends of a variety of factors such as the location, size of the tumors. Whether the cancer has metastasized or not is also another important factor in determining the course of treatment.

Regardless of size or location of the tumors, the first step to treating Ewing’s sarcoma is chemotherapy. This reduces the tumor to a more manageable size allowing it to be excises altogether through surgery or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is also conducted after the removal of the tumor to make sure there is no resurgence of the cancer cells.

Chemotherapy normally lasts between 6 and 9 months and requires hospital stay for the duration of the treatment, which can last a couple of days every 2 to 3 weeks. Children exhibiting side effects like fever or infection as a result of chemotherapy will need to remain in hospital for extended periods of time for constant monitoring and care. Chemotherapy drugs are given intravenously.

Surgery is occasionally undertaken to directly remove cancerous tumors. Radiation therapy is often used prior to surgery to reduce the size of the tumor. Radiation therapy involves the irradiating parts of the body affected by Ewing’s sarcoma with high energy X-rays. This kills the cancer cells and prevents them from spreading to other parts of the body. Radiation is used in place of surgery in cases where the tumor’s location makes manually removing it too dangerous or risky.

Radiation therapy does not require overnight stay at the hospital. Children undergoing radiation therapy need only to visit the hospital 5 days a week for a number of weeks until the treatment is complete.