Bone Cancer
MaineHealth cancer specialists offer the experience and skill to care for adults and children facing a bone cancer diagnosis. Treatment is most often coordinated among a team of specialists that specialize in bone and other soft tissue tumors.
What is bone cancer?
Bone cancer is a cancerous tumor that destroys normal bone tissue. It is rare and accounts for less than 1 percent of all cancers. Most bone tumors are not cancerous.
What are bone cancer risks and symptoms?
Bone cancer is a very rare cancer and may result from an inherited condition. Bone cancer rarely is a consequence of radiation therapy, and even in a rarer circumstance from the abnormal healing of an injury. Pain or swelling in or near a bone is a primary symptom of bone cancer and other conditions. But sometimes there is no pain with bone cancer.
What are the diagnostic tests for bone cancer?
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X-rays
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Bone scans
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CT or CAT scan
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MRI
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PET
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Biopsy
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Blood test.
Patients May Have a Combination of Treatments
Surgery is the usual treatment to remove the tumor from the affected bone. Surgery is often combined with other cancer therapies, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.