Bone Cancer in Children: Know the Types and Symptoms

Bone cancer in children that often occurs is osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Children who suffer from bone cancer can show symptoms that vary. This depends on the location and size of the cancer. To find out more about bone cancer in children, consider the following review.

Bones have a role to shape the structure and support the body, protect important organs, such as the lungs, heart, and brain, help the body to move, make blood cells, and as a place to store minerals, such as calcium. Because of its important function, bone health needs to be maintained properly.

There are various disorders that can occur in the bone. One of them is bone cancer, which can occur both in adults and children. This condition will make the bones deform, brittle and break easily.

Types of Bone Cancer in Children

Bone cancer is a malignant bone tumor. Bone cancer in children is actually rare. Only about 3% of cases of cancer in children occur due to bone cancer. This cancer can develop in any part of the body's bones. However, most bone cancers in children occur in the legs and arms.

Bone cancer in children is a dangerous disease because it can permanently damage healthy bone tissue. In addition, cancer can also spread from one part of the bone to another bone or other organ.

There are two types of bone cancer that most often occur in children, namely:

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer in children, especially adolescents. Osteosarcoma generally attacks large, long bones that grow rapidly, such as the bones of the arms, knees and legs.

If not treated immediately, this type of bone cancer can spread to the bones another or to certain organs, such as the lungs.

Some of the symptoms that can appear on osteosarcoma are:

• Swelling and redness of the bones tumor.
• Bone or joint pain, especially after activities or at night.
• Easily injured or broken bones.
• A hard lump on the skin.
• Movement becomes limited if the tumor is in the joint.
• Difficulty walking or limping if the lump is in the leg or leg area.

Ewing's Sarcoma

This type of bone cancer in children is less common. Ewing's sarcoma more often attacks children who want to enter adolescence. Ewing's sarcoma bone cancer more often affects boys than girls.

This cancer often occurs in the pelvis, chest and ribs, and legs or legs. Sometimes Ewing's sarcoma can also affect the bones of the arms, hands, skull, and spine.

Apart from the bones, this type of cancer can also develop in the soft tissue around the bone. Some of the symptoms of Ewing's sarcoma are:

• Pain and swelling in the bones affected by cancer. These symptoms can last for weeks or months.
• Bone pain that worsens at night or during physical activity.
• The appearance of a lump in the skin that feels painful and warm when touched.
• Often feel tired.
• Often have a fever.
• It's easy to break a bone for no apparent reason.
• Losing weight.
• Difficulty walking.

The cause of osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma is not known with certainty. So far, Ewing's sarcoma is known to be unrelated to radiation exposure, chemical compounds, or other environmental factors. Whereas osteosarcoma bone cancer is said to be more risky in children who have had radiation therapy or exposure to strong radiation.

To treat bone cancer in children, surgery is often required, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Whatever the type, bone cancer in children is a condition that needs to be examined by a doctor. The sooner it is treated, the greater the chance of recovery. This cancer becomes difficult to treat if it has spread to other organs.

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