Everyone experiences occasional aches and pains. A brief feeling of discomfort in the muscles or bones is often little more than a strain or a slight injury you may not recall happening. You should seek the advice of a doctor for any pain that persists or interferes with your day-to-day activities, especially when accompanied by weight loss.
Significance
Bone pain can be debilitating and should be taken seriously. Bone pain is less common than joint pain, which is often caused by arthritis and can affect one or more joints. Bone pain can be caused by trauma such as a broken bone, or by a less obvious cause such as cancer. You should seek medical attention for unexplained bone pain and pain caused by injury. Your doctor may order tests to evaluate the cause to plan a course of treatment.
Features
When assessing bone pain, your doctor will likely ask what other symptoms occur in conjunction with the pain. Malignancy may be considered when bone pain is accompanied by weight loss. This weight loss may have been occurring gradually over the past several months, even prior to the start of the pain, or may have occurred rapidly as a result of decreased appetite.
Types
Cancer symptoms can be vague. Pain, even if accompanied by weight loss, may be caused by many conditions and may not be cancer. According to the National Institutes of Health, depression may cause a decrease in appetite and energy to perform usual tasks. Weight loss may follow. A weakened immune system, common in the elderly, may not be able to fight off illnesses such as the flu. The onset of the flu can cause aches and pains and lingering loss of appetite that could lead to weight loss.
Identification
Bone cancer is a relatively uncommon form of cancer. Cancer that begins elsewhere but has spread to the bone is considered to have metastasized. According to the National Cancer Institute, bone pain is the most common symptom of bone cancer. Other symptoms vary depending on the type of bone cancer but may include swelling and a lump from the tumor. Weight loss and exhaustion may be signs that the cancer has spread.
Considerations
Unintentional weight loss is weight loss that occurs without diet or exercise. If bone pain has not occurred, your doctor may evaluate causes such as thyroid conditions, dental problems and infection, the National Institutes of Health says. Evaluating unplanned weight loss as soon as it is recognized, even before other symptoms develop, may improve the effectiveness of treatment--particularly if cancer is the cause.
