Benign & Malignant Bone Tumors
Benign (non-cancerous tumors) bone tumors usually do not spread and treatment will depend on if they are causing problems. Malignant (cancerous) bone tumors can be primary or secondary. The National Library of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center offer the following information regarding bone tumors.
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Incidence of Benign Tumors
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For the most part, benign bone tumors form in children whose skeletons are still growing, as well as people up to 30 years of age. Hormones that affect growth play a big role in most tumor formations, which is why they are most common in children.
Treatment of Benign Tumors
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Treatment will depend on many factors. In some cases, a bone tumor can trigger a bone fracture--the tumor might go away as the bone heals requiring no other intervention. Doctors might choose to observe small growths that cause any symptoms. Surgical treatments remove the tumor and facilitate the growth of healthy new bone in its place. You might need treatment for a bone tumor that is growing aggressively and poses a risk for paralysis and deformity.
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Types of Malignant Tumors
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Primary bone cancers originate in the bone--examples include chandrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, fibrosarcoma and osteosarcomas. Secondary bone tumors form when cancer from another part of the body takes root in the bones. Cancers that most commonly spread to the bone include breast, kidney, lung, prostate and thyroid. Primary bone cancer is relatively rare. You are more likely to experience primary bone cancer if you have genetic cancer syndromes. Yearly, bone cancer affects five children out of every million.
Treatment for Malignant Tumors
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Treatment will depend on the type of primary bone cancer or type of cancer that spread to the bone, stage of the cancer and your overall health, among other things. Common treatments include surgery to remove the tumors, radiation, chemotherapy, drugs to improve bone health and hormone therapy for prostate and breast cancers
Symptoms
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Both types of tumors share the same symptoms. They include swelling or a mass at the tumor site, pain and fractures--particularly those resulting from a minimal injury. Benign tumors do not always produce symptoms.
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