Bone tumours may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Also, bone cancer is cancer which develops inside the bone or bone tissue itself, not the cancer which has spread to the bones also.
There are several types of bone cancer – cancer cells may develop inside the hollow part of the bone, in the soft tissue surrounding the bone also different cancer types may occur in different bones of the body. The most common type of bone cancer is chondrosarcoma, which develops in cartilage cells (tissue which is slightly softer than bones and which cover the tops of the bones).
The causes of bone cancer are often linked to other diseases and radiation therapy or chemotherapy, also bone marrow transfer. The disease is more common in people over the age of 20, rarely under. The risk increases with age.
No special tests have been elaborated to discover bone cancer early. The most common tests are special blood tests and biopsies, which help to discover the existence of bone cancer.
Symptoms usually include swelling around the bones and pain, which grown as the cancer cells spread and as the cancer develops.
