What is Bone Marrow Cancer

Bone marrow refers to the soft-tissue which is present at the center of mostly all the bones in one’s body. It contains cells known as ‘stem cells’, these are blood-forming immature cells. These stem cells subsequently transform into white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. White blood cells fight infection, while red blood cells transport oxygen through one’s body, and platelets assist blood clotting. When cancer develops in these stem cells present in the bone marrow, it is referred to as bone marrow cancer.

Types of bone marrow cancer:-

In many cases bone marrow cancer, it develops from cancer that has spread to the bone from some other organ in one’s body, this is known as ‘secondary bone cancer’. In this form of cancer, when the cancer is observed under the microscope, it can be determined as to which organ in one’s body first contracted it and consequently spread it to the bone, this is known as it tends to resemble the tissue it came from(prostrate, lung, breast, etc).

Another type of bone marrow cancer is known as ‘primary bone cancer’, this refers to the cancer that forms in the cells of one’s bone. A few types include – Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and Ewing’s sarcoma.

Other types of bone marrow cancers that originate in the blood forming cells present in one’s bone marrow are – Leukemia(bone marrow manufactures white blood cells that are abnormal), Lymphomas(mostly originates in ones lymph nodes), and Multiple Myeloma(develops from plasma cells present in bone marrow).

Symptoms:-

Early symptoms may include fatigue, fever, poor appetite, and weight loss; however these signs/ symptoms may vary from patient to patient. The sad truth however remains that the early signs of bone marrow cancer are so subtle that many patients decide on consulting a doctor only when it’s too late, i.e. when the cancer is spread to other parts of the body. Some other symptoms may include – A hard lump on one’s bone, pain, Restricted movement, Unexplained fractures, Anemia, Weakness, Shortness of breath, dizziness, lowered resistance to infections, and lastly Swelling, stiffness, or tenderness in the bone.


Written By : Jeffrey Kenneth Cray

What is Primary Bone Cancer

Primary bone cancer refers to cancer that originates in the bone tissue. It is a very rare form of cancer and can show up in any of the 206 bones that constitute an adult human skeleton. Having said that, it mostly occurs in the longer bones of the body, like the arms and legs. Bone cancer in general can occur at any age, however the most common forms of bone cancer tend to effect more children and young adults.

In ‘Primary bone cancer’ the cancerous tumor originates from a single abnormal cell. What causes a cell to become cancerous is still unclear. It is of the opinion of many renowned doctors that there is something that causes harm to or alters particular genes in a cell, consequently this leads to the cell becoming abnormal and therefore it multiplies(goes out of control) resulting in bone cancer.

As mentioned in the above paragraph, it is still unclear in most of the cases of primary bone cancer as to why cells become cancerous. However, there exist certain ‘risk factors’ that may lead to one developing a primary bone tumor.  Some of these risk factors are as follows:-

1 - If you suffer from Ollier’s Disease (a rare bone disease), your chances of developing a primary bone tumor are more.

2 - Rare inherited disorders like – Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, multiple exostoses(HME), and retinoblastoma, increases the risk of primary bone cancer.

3 - Osteochondroma(a benign bone tumor) which may or may not turn into a chondrosarcoma(a cancerous bone tumor).

4 - Paget’s disease. Usually affecting older people, it is a bone disease that may lead to primary bone cancer.

5 - An elevated dose of radiotherapy used to treat other problems may lead to one developing a primary bone tumor.

According to many ill-advised and un-informed people, having a previous injury to ones bone elevates his/ her risk of developing bone cancer at a future date. This fact is flawed as there is no evidence to support this claim hence one should disregard this statement, if it should ever arise.


Written By : Jeffrey Kenneth Cray

Treatment For Bone Cancer

Depending on the type of bone cancer one has, how much it has progressed, one’s overall health, and individual preferences, the mode of treatment differentiates. Normally, treatment of bone cancer involves surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation or a combination of the three depending on the stage of the cancer.

Surgery – The purpose of performing surgery on a person suffering from bone cancer is in order to remove the entire cancer. In order to succeed at such a complex procedure, the doctor must remove the tumor/ cancerous tissue as well as a little portion of the good/ healthy tissue that surrounds it. There are three types of surgeries used in the treatment of bone cancer, these are: Surgery involving the removal of a limb, Surgery in order to successfully remove the cancer without amputation, and Surgery involving the removal of the cancerous tissue that does not affect the limb.

Radiation Therapy – It involves the use of high-powered beams of energy (like those in x-rays), in order to kill cancer cells. A patient is required to lie on a table, once lying down you are required to not move while a special machine makes its way around you and points its high-powered beams at precise points on your body.

Radiation therapy is usually used when surgery doesn’t yield preferable results. It may also be used to kill cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery. Radiation therapy may also be useful in reducing pain and other signs and symptoms of bone cancer in patients who have an advanced stage of bone cancer.

Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy involves the use of chemicals to kill cancer cells. It is a drug treatment and is usually given intravenously (through a vein). Chemotherapy could be given on its own or in combination with radiation therapy.  It is usually used prior to surgery in order to shrink the cancerous tissue to a manageable size, in order for a surgeon to perform surgery that involves the sparing of a limb. Chemotherapy is also used to treat patients whose bone cancer has spread from the bone to other parts of the body.


Written By : Jeffrey Kenneth Cray

Tips to Prevent Bone Marrow Cancer

The foremost tip to help prevent bone marrow cancer is to be aware of the risks that raise the chances of this disease to occur. Some of them are – Paget’s disease (affects the bones), Umbilical hernia, Renoblastoma, Rothmund-Thompson Syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome (genetic condition), and Radiation therapy.

In addition to the risks mentioned, they are certain tips that help prevent the occurrence of Bone marrow cancer, these are as follows:-

a) Exercise - Yoga asanas and exercising regularly help in improving blood circulation and in turn limit the growth of the cancer. Apart from these two reasons they are many others that facilitate the necessity to stay fit.   

b) Tobacco – You must have heard of the cliché that ‘smoking cause’s cancer’, well it’s a cliché for a right reason. Consuming tobacco in its raw form or by smoking it increases the risk of cancer. Leading a life free of tobacco will do you a world of good.

c) Genes – If anyone in the family has been diagnosed with the disease in the past or the recent past, be it an uncle or an aunt or a distant relative, the chances of you getting it are elevated.

d) Diet – Keeping a watchful eye on your calorie intake and maintaining a low-fat diet helps in preventing bone marrow cancer. According to a research people who eat loads of fruits and vegetables in their daily life are at a much lower risk of bone cancer than those who don’t. 

Therefore maintaining a healthy lifestyle by following a balanced diet plan that excludes fats and keeps a check on your calorie intake should be the order of the day.

e) Diagnose and treat - It is extremely vital to diagnose and treat the source of the cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body, which could prove to be fatal.

f) Herbal advice - For people who are interested in herbal tips to help prevent bone marrow cancer, you could try including turmeric and ginseng in your daily meals. Certain types of green tea extract help in preventing the growth and spread of cancer tissue.

Read more on tips to prevent bone cancer.

Facts about Bone Cancer

Bone Cancer can be of two types, Primary and Secondary. While Primary Bone Cancer is something that starts at the bone, the secondary bone cancer starts elsewhere in the body and ends up on the bone. Bone cancers can be further sub-divided into many parts. Here are some facts about Bone Cancer:

1. Symptoms- The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain along the bone. It is also true that bone can pain due to many other causes, however it is very important to do a proper check-up and understand the cause for the pain.
2. Causes- It is not known what actually causes bone cancer. It is however believed that bone cancer is caused by defective DNA, further more it also says that it is not an inherited thing but something that has happened due to environmental factors.
3. Types- There are different types of bone cancers, primary bone cancer is a tumor that begins in the bone tissue. The different types of bone cancers depend on the various tissues which make up the bone layer and then it is filled with bone marrow.
4. Staging- Bone Cancers have stages to them. Stages help the doctor and the patient to understand the progress of the cancer. Stage 1 would mean that the cancer remains in the bone and has not spread to the other parts. Stage 2 would mean that the cancer is slowly getting aggressive and the cell is spreading to other parts of the body. Stage 3 would mean that the cancer is in more areas that the original bone. Stage 4 would mean that the bone cancer has finally spread to the other parts of the body.
5. Treatment- Once it gets diagnosed and later staged, then the doctor would start the proper treatment process.

Different Ways to Treat Bone Cancer

Bone cancer is mainly because of problematic bone cells. It is most common in children and adolescents. Bone cancer is of a primary and secondary nature. In case of a secondary cancer, you need to identify the origination of cancer and then find out the respective cancer treatment. However, we can have a look at the treatments for a primary bone cancer. While deciding on the treatment for bone cancer, the type of cancer, its stage, age and the overall health of the patient is taken into consideration.

Let’s have a look at the main treatments for a bone cancer:

1. Surgery: Surgery is a commonly used method for treating bone cancer. The type of surgery usually depends on the size of cancer, the area affected and if it has affected the surrounding tissues. The idea behind surgery is to remove the tumor completely and the surrounding tissue. After the surgery, it is important to examine if the tumor is removed completely because if a part of the tumor is left out, it will continue to spreading thus requiring a further treatment. Earlier amputations were done to remove the tumor, however with the improved techniques wherein the tumor can be removed with a rim of the bone, the need for amputations is less. Depending on the size of bone removed a replacement is done either with bone cement or bone graft or the bone bank or metal implants.

2. Chemotherapy: This is used to stop the growth of cancerous cells. This is either done before surgery to ease the surgery by shrinking the tumor or after surgery to kills the left out cancer cells.

3. Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy is usually the use of high radiations to kill the cancer cells. This is done on a regular basis in small doses for a period ranging from days to months, depending on the type of cancer. Even this can be used post and prior to surgery.

The combination of treatment vary depending on the type of cancer and its severity.

Read more on Ways to treat bone cancer.

Side effects of Bone Cancer Treatment

Side effects of Bone Cancer Treatment: Side effects of bone cancer treatment depend on the method of treatment, the age of the patient and location of the tumour. Some of the side effects are permanent and some side effects are temporary. Three types of treatments which are used for bone cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Some side effects of bone cancer treatment are

• anaemia, fever and sterility
• a reduction in the resistance to infection.
• It affects the  appetite and causes vomiting, nausea and mouth sores
• Hair-loss
• Low energy and poor stamina
• a restricted growth of blood forming cells.

Read to know more on Bone cancer side effects.