What kind of person is at risk of bone cancer?

 What kind of person is at risk of bone cancer?

Sarcoma is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth in muscles and bones. This cancer can occur in soft muscles, bones, fat, tissues, blood vessels, nerves and joints. This cancer cell develops rapidly in the soft cells that are mostly found in the bones.

Initially, this cancer develops in 'connective tissue' (tissue connecting two organs). Then gradually other areas start spreading. This cancer then spreads to the lungs.

This cancer is considered rare but very deadly. Because there are more than 70 types of this cancer. Out of which, two main types are soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcoma. Sarcoma accounts for one percent of cancer in adult patients and 15 percent in children.

There are different types of sarcoma including osteo sarcoma, angio sarcoma, chondro sarcoma, chondroma, fibro sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, leiomyo sarcoma, lipo sarcoma, malignant, peripheral nerve. Of which osteosarcoma is the most common.

How is sarcoma cancer?

The smallest unit of muscle is called sarcomere. The sarcomere is made up of actin filaments and myosin filaments. Actin is thin while myosin is thick.

The action of both causes the muscles to contract and stretch. If the muscle and bone cells of this part are damaged and there is an error in the structure of DNA, sarcoma occurs.

Muscle and bone cells grow uncontrollably. A complex type of malignant tumor occurs in muscles and bones. Sarcoma cancer can invade other healthy nearby organs. It can spread through the blood to the surrounding organs.

A causative agent of cancer

No study or research has discovered the concrete cause of sarcoma. But there are some factors that can lead to its development.

Exposure to chemicals such as plastic products, pesticides, petroleum products and dyes

- Hereditary diseases such as neurofibromatosis, Gardner syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome

Symptoms

Some patients have no or mild symptoms at first. Sarcoma cancer looks like lumps of flesh under the skin, limbs, bones and other parts of the body. The lump can be both painful and non-painful. Similarly, with the passage of time, low-grade fever, difficulty in moving the hand, loss of appetite and weight loss are its main symptoms.

Examination of sarcoma

There are tests like X-ray, CT scan, MRI, bone scan, PET CT scan and biopsy of the affected limb. Of these, MRI is the most important and useful test. From this, you can get clear information about how much cancer has spread to the muscle, penetrated the bone, inside or outside the bone.

Treatment

Surgery: The main treatment for sarcoma is surgery. In this, the entire part of the tumor where cancer is identified is removed. If there is sarcoma cancer in the entire part of the limb, all the cancerous parts may have to be removed.

Efforts are made to save some part of the limb as much as possible.

Chemotherapy: After sarcoma, chemotherapy is also necessary. In this therapy, cancer cells are destroyed by the use of strong drugs doxorubicin and ifosfamide.

Immunotherapy: This drug is somewhat different from chemotherapy. Atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, and denosumab used in immunotherapy strengthen the body's disease-fighting cells. These drugs do not cause acute and severe side-effects like chemo.

Targeted therapy: It uses new and very effective drugs.

Radiation therapy: Cancerous organs are treated with radiation. which inactivates cancer cells.

Complexity

If this cancer is not treated early, there is a fear of spreading to other parts of the body. After spreading to other parts, there is no treatment. Therefore, if a lump of meat is found on such suspicious skin or bone, it should be tested immediately.