Bone tumors, abnormal cell growth on bone tissue, can be classified as primary or secondary bone tumors. Primary bone tumors develop when existing bone cells mutate and begin to proliferate uncontrollably. Secondary bone tumors, which are more common, develop when cancers from other tissues throughout the body metastasize to the bone tissue. Bone tumors can be osteoblastic, leading to abnormal bony growths; or osteolytic, leading to bone tissue breakdown as the tumor grows. Both osteoblastic and osteolytic bone tumors have a number of painful side effects, and a number of therapies can help treat bone tumors.
Limb-Sparing Surgery
The most common treatment for bone tumors is limb-sparing surgery, which removes the bone tumor then helps reconstruct the limb, reports the National Cancer Institute. This therapy was developed to replace amputation as a treatment for most bone tumors, since limb-sparing surgery allows for better quality of life after treatment. During a limb-sparing bone tumor surgery, the surgeon will remove the affected bone tissue, as well as a margin of healthy tissue surrounding the tumor to prevent tumor recurrence. Once the tumor is removed, the surgeon will perform reconstructive surgery to allow for proper function of the limb after treatment. In cases of severe bone tumors, the limb may not be salvageable and amputation is required.
Localized Radiation Therapy
In some cases, localized radiation therapy can help treat bone tumors. Growth concentrated on a specific region of the bone often weakens bone structure, leaving the patient vulnerable to bone fractures and injury. Radiation therapy can kill cancer cells found in one region, minimizing tumor growth in the area and helping to prevent bone fracture as a result of tumor growth. Radiation may also be used before or after surgery to prevent tumor recurrence, reports MedlinePlus.
During radiation therapy for bone tumors, the patient receives a high dose of radiation localized at the site of the bone tumor. The cancer cells undergo massive DNA damage as a result of the radiation and eventually die, stopping further tumor growth, and shrinking the tumor. Radiation therapy can lead to a number of side effects, such as nausea and vomiting.
Systemic Chemotherapy
Bone tumors can occur as a result of metastasis of cancer from other tissues. When cancer metastasizes, cancer cells from the tumor of origin travel throughout the body and can colonize a number of other tissues. As a result, bone tumors from cancer metastasis often occur in conjunction with other tumors. Secondary bone tumors can be treated with systemic chemotherapy, which targets not only the cells within the bone tumor, but also cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic, or cell toxic drugs, that inhibit essential cellular processes. The drugs circulate in the bloodstream and target proliferating cell populations, killing cancer cells wherever they exist. Chemotherapy is used for some, but not all bone tumors, reports the National Cancer Institute.
