Although a variety of cancers have the ability to spread to the bone, primary bone cancer or bone tumors starts in the cells of the bone. Some types of bone cancers start in the cells of the bone marrow that produce blood, and not in the bone itself, like multiple myeloma and leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society. Malignant bone tumors start in the actual bone cells and are primarily called sarcomas.
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma, which can also be called osteogenic sarcoma, is the most common bone tumor that originates from the bones, according to the American Cancer Society. It typically strikes individuals between the ages of 10 and 30, but can be diagnosed at any age. Common sites for these tumors to occur include the arms, legs and pelvis. The National Cancer Institute states that osteosarcoma can also grow in soft tissues or organs in the chest or abdomen, but this is rare. Symptoms of osteosarcoma can include swelling over a bone, bone or joint pain, and a bone fracture that occurs for no apparent reason. Another kind of bone cancer, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, is a rare bone tumor but is treated just like osteosarcoma.
Chondrosarcoma
The second most common form of bone cancer is chondrosarcoma, which is cancer of cartilage cells. Cartilage is similar to bone tissue, but is softer. This kind of cancer is very rare in patients younger than 20 years old. This cancer typically starts in cartilage in the pelvis, leg or arm, but can arise anywhere there is cartilage, including the shoulder blade and ribs. There are various kinds of chondrosarcomas, depending on features the cells have, including dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, clear cell chondrosarcoma and mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Symptoms can include bone pain and swelling over a bone.
Ewing Sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is the third most common form of bone cancer. It starts in a certain kind of cell that is in bone or soft tissue. The National Cancer Institute lists three types of Ewing sarcoma: classic Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) and Askin tumor, which is a PNET of the chest wall. There is also extraosseous Ewing sarcoma, which is a soft tissue tumor that is typically in the trunk, head, neck, arms or legs. Ewing sarcoma is most often diagnosed in children and adolescents and is rare in individuals over the age of 30. Symptoms of this bone cancer include pain and/or swelling, a lump in the arms, legs or pelvis, an unexplained fever and unexplained bone fractures.
Chordoma
A chordoma is a type of bone cancer that is found most often in the base of the skull or in the bones of the spine, according to the American Cancer Society. This kind of bone tumor is usually diagnosed in adults over the age of 30 and is diagnosed twice as often in men than it is in women. These kinds of tumors are slow growing and typically do not spread to other organs in the body. If not fully removed, they tend to recur, and when they do spread, common sites for metastasis include lymph nodes, the lungs and the liver.
