Is your child having pain in their bones? Let's be aware of this Osteosarcoma (Osteogenic Sarcoma)

Does your child often complain about pain in a leg, arm, or other bone? You may have noticed something like a small swelling in that area. We often think that it is an injury that children have suffered from when they were playing, falling, or hitting something. Most of the time, that may be the case. However, sometimes a symptom like this can be something more serious than we think. Today, we are talking about one such condition that needs attention, namely, a type of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. Don't be afraid when you hear this name. The most important thing is to be aware of it.

Simply put, what is Osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the bones of our body, or rather, in our bones. It starts out as just normal bone cells. But over time, these cells become cancerous cells and form tumors. These tumors do not form healthy bones, but weak, diseased bones.

Doctors sometimes call this `(Osteogenic Sarcoma)`. Here, `Sarcoma` is a general term for cancers that develop in connective tissues like bone, cartilage, and muscle. The word `Osteo` means bone. So, from the name itself, we understand that this is a cancer related to bones.

Which bones are most likely to develop this cancer?

Osteosarcoma cancer most often develops in the long bones of our body. That is, in the long bones of the arms and legs. It is especially common in the ends of these bones near the joints. These can occur near places like the knee, hip, and shoulder.

The most commonly affected bones are:

• Femur (upper leg)
• Shin bone (the part of the leg below the knee) `(Tibia)`
• The upper arm bone `(Humerus)`

Relatively less affected areas:

• Hook
• Pelvis (hip bone)
• Skull
• Sometimes, very rarely, they can develop in the soft tissues of the abdomen or chest.

What are the symptoms of osteosarcoma?

The symptoms of this disease can vary from person to person, but there are some common symptoms. If you or your child has one or more of these, it's best to talk to a doctor about it.

Why does this type of cancer develop? What are the risk factors?

The exact cause of this cancer has not yet been discovered. However, doctors believe that certain factors may increase the risk of developing it.

• Rapid bone growth: This is the most common risk factor. During growth spurts in children and young adults, their bones grow very quickly. When this rapid cell division occurs, there is a risk that something may go wrong and cancerous cells may form. This is why osteosarcoma is most common in young adults.
• Exposure to radiation: If you have received radiation therapy as a treatment for another type of cancer, there is a small risk of developing osteosarcoma in the bones that were exposed to that radiation in the future.
• Genetic causes: Certain genetic mutations may be involved. For example, people with certain mutations in the p53 gene (a cancer-suppressing gene) or the Rb (Retinoblastoma) gene (associated with eye cancer in young children) are at increased risk.
• Some rare medical conditions: People with rare medical conditions such as `Li-Fraumeni syndrome` and `Paget's disease of the bone` are also at higher risk of developing Osteosarcoma than the general population.

How does a doctor find this?

When you go to see a doctor with the symptoms mentioned above, he will follow several steps.

1. Asking about symptoms: First, the doctor will ask you and your child about when the pain started, how it started, and if there is any swelling. They may also ask if anyone in your family has a history of cancer.

2. Physical examination: Next, the area of ​​pain is carefully examined. They check for swelling, tenderness, warmth in the area, and joint mobility.

3. X-ray examination: If there is even the slightest suspicion of osteosarcoma, the first thing to do is to take an X-ray of the affected bone. This can largely determine if the bone has an abnormal appearance.

4. Other scans: If there is anything suspicious on the X-ray, a CT scan or MRI scan may be ordered to further investigate. An MRI scan can give a very clear picture of the size of the tumor and how it has spread within the bone and surrounding soft tissues.

5. Biopsy: The most important test to confirm 100% whether it is cancer or not is a biopsy. Here, a surgeon takes a very small piece of tissue from the tumor and examines it under a microscope to confirm whether there are cancer cells.

Once the cancer is confirmed, the next step is to see if it has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body, especially the lungs. This can involve a chest CT scan and a full-body bone scan. This is called 'staging'.

What are the treatments for this?

Treatment options for osteosarcoma have evolved successfully. Treatment is often provided by a team of oncologists, surgeons, and other health professionals. The main treatments include:

1. Chemotherapy

This involves giving the body powerful drugs that can kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given before and after surgery.

• Before surgery: The goal is to shrink the tumor and destroy any cancer cells that may be hiding in the body.
• After surgery: The goal is to completely destroy any cancer cells that may remain after surgery and prevent the cancer from coming back.

2. Surgery

After chemotherapy has shrunk the tumor, surgery is performed to completely remove the cancerous tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. There are several types of surgery.

• Limb-salvage surgery: This is the most common surgery performed today. In this surgery, only the part of the bone with the cancer is removed and replaced with a metal prosthesis or a bone graft. This can preserve the function of the arm or leg to a great extent.
• Amputation: If the cancer has spread to vital parts such as nerves or blood vessels, or if complications such as infection occur, it is sometimes necessary to remove the affected arm or leg. A prosthetic limb may then be used.

3. Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is not commonly used for osteosarcoma because these cancer cells are not very sensitive to radiation. However, this treatment may be used if the cancer is in areas that cannot be completely removed by surgery (e.g., the skull, spine), or if there is a suspicion that cancer cells remain after surgery.

What are the chances of recovery from treatment?

This is a question that many people have. It can be scary to hear, but it's important to know the truth. The chances of recovery depend on whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body when it is diagnosed.

If the cancer has already spread (metastasized) to other areas, such as the lungs, by the time it is diagnosed, the survival rate is even lower. But even in those cases, there are treatments. The important thing is that these are just statistics. Every patient is different. So it's best to talk to your doctor and learn the details about your situation.

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