Symptoms and Causes of bone cancer in children

Bone cancer in children is a serious issue. Even though it may seem a rare case, say around less than 1 percent, it is a severe disease in its own. The bone cancer can begin in any bone in the body. Although, it mostly affects the long bones in the legs and arms. The bone cancer in children is called Childhood osteosarcoma. The most common osteosarcomas are

• Upper arm bone called humerus
• Thigh bone called femur
• Shine bone called tibia

Another thing should be noted that Ewing sarcoma of the bone is mostly developed in the axial bones such as spine, skull, ribs etc. the most common sites for developing Ewing sarcoma are.

• Spine
• Tibia
• Calf bone
• Ribs
• Hip bone
• Shoulder blade
• Breast bone
• Femur

It is important for parents to understand various symptoms and causes of bone cancer. If it gets too far, it would create some serious complications. The symptoms of the bone cancer in the children depend upon which bone is affected by the cancerous tumor. Let us see some of the most common symptoms

1. Pain

It is the most common symptoms in any sort of bone cancer. The child starts feeling a localized pain in the often seem like a dull ache. The part of the bone which is affected by the tumor aches mostly. As the pain gradually increases, it starts making the child restless and keeps him awake at night. If the tumor is in the leg, it creates difficulty in walking.

2. Swelling

It is another common sign of bone cancer in children. The swelling or often called lump may feel warm and soft. The swelling of tumor in arm or leg is notable. However, the lump is in the chest or pelvis, it becomes difficult to recognize until it gets bigger.

3. Other symptoms

There are some other common symptoms such as limping if the tumor is in the leg, weight loss, fatigue, fever for no reason, breaking of bone for no reason, difficulty in movement, excruciating pain etc.

These are some of the common symptoms of bone cancer. Like symptoms, it is important to know the cause behind it. If we know its root cause, we can take utmost care of our children to prevent them from this.

Causes of bone cancer

As of now, the doctors are unsure about the real reason behind bone cancer. Although patients suffering from long-term inflammatory diseases namely Paget’s disease have a higher risk of developing bone cancer than other patients. However, it still cannot be explained why one suffers the bone cancer whilst the other doesn’t. Remember, bone cancer is not contagious. Mostly children and young adults up to 20 are likely to develop bone cancer.

As we can see there are no concrete reasons for bone cancer, it is important that the parents consult doctors immediately after seeing any of those symptoms. In case of extreme case, one can consult pediatric orthopedic surgeon Chennai for better treatment.