Bone Marrow Cancer

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Bone marrow cancer affects the red blood forming tissue in the center of bones. Find out more about it here.

Bone marrow is the spongy, soft tissue contained inside most bones. This tissue is made up of immature cells, which are known as stem cells, which develop into various types of blood cells such as: red blood cells, which help in carrying oxygen throughout the body; white blood cells, which are part of the immune system and therefore help in fighting infection; and platelets, which help in clotting blood. As red blood cell production requires iron, the body usually stores a large portion of its supply of iron in the bone marrow. Bone marrow cancer occurs when the cells that form blood become cancerous.

What are the Various Kinds of Bone Marrow Cancer?

Usually bone marrow cancer occurs due to cancer spreading to the bone from some other organ, when it is referred to as secondary bone cancer. On examination under the microscope, these cancers bear a resemblance to the original tissue they came from, such as the lung, breast, prostate, and so on.

Primary bone marrow cancers, on the other hand, are the type that occurs in the bone marrow cells that form blood, and these are:

Multiple Myeloma: This is a type of bone marrow cancer that affects the plasma cells, which are a kind of white blood cells that occur in the bone marrow. The disease occurs due to the plasma cells growing abnormally. Normally, plasma cells produce antibodies. So, when these malignant or abnormal plasma cells divide and multiply rapidly, without order or control, as is the case in cancerous cells, it results in the production of huge amounts of abnormal antibodies, which accumulate in the blood as well as the urine. With the growth of the plasma cell tumor, the surrounding bone is also destroyed. These effects result in an impaired immune system, damage to the kidneys, and pain in the bones. The disease is referred to as multiple myeloma since it can affect multiple sites of the body where bone marrow occurs.

Leukemia: This disease occurs when the bone marrow produces white blood cells that are abnormal. Leukemia is a term that defines 4 different types of diseases: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, or ALL; Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, or AML; Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, or CLL; and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, or CML.

Acute myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphocytic are both made up of blast cells, referred to as myeloblasts or lymphoblasts. The term ‘acute’ is indicative of the disease progressing rapidly, in the absence of treatment. Chronic leukemia either does not have any blast cells or they are few in number, and it progresses comparatively slowly.

Lymphoma: This usually affects the lymphatic system, but sometimes can begin in the bone marrow. For example, Hodgkin lymphoma, which usually affects the lymph nodes, but can also affect the bone marrow.

What are the Symptoms of Bone Marrow Cancer?

Although the initial signs of bone marrow cancer can differ from one person to another, some of the common symptoms are fever, loss of weight, loss of appetite, and fatigue. The problem is that these initial signs of bone marrow cancer can be so subtle and erratic tat the affected person usually delays seeing a doctor until the cancer has spread to other parts. Another problem is that these symptoms can indicate something else apart from cancer. Hence, only a trained physician will be able to diagnose accurately whether these symptoms are indicative of bone marrow cancer.

Some of the other bone marrow cancer symptoms are: pain; a hard lump on the affected bone; tenderness, stiffness, or swelling in the bone, usually near or inside a joint; frequent fractures for no reason; anemia, or low red blood cells; a lowering in the resistance to infections; dizziness, shortness of breath, and general weakness.

What is the Treatment for Bone Marrow Cancer?

There are a number of treatments available for bone marrow cancer such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplants. Many hospitals also offer other complementary therapies along with the conventional treatments such as naturopathic medicine; nutrition therapy; mind and body medicine; and spiritual counseling.

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Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone cancer affects the cells that make up the bones. Here is a discussion of this disorder, including the symptoms of bone cancer.

Bone cancer is triggered off when there is a disorder of the cells that bones are made up of. If the cancer starts in the bone, it is known as primary bone cancer. Each year about 2000 people are diagnosed with bone tumors in the US. Tumors in the bone occur more commonly in adolescents and children compared to older adults. When the bone is affected by cancer in older adults, it is usually due to the metastasis of the cancer from some other tumor in another organ.

Various Types of Bone Cancer

Bones serve various purposes in the body. They protect and support the organs in the body. For instance, the brain is protected by the skull and the lungs are protected by the ribs. Blood cells are made and stored in the bone marrow, the spongy and soft tissue that many bone have in their center.

Primary bone cancer occurs most commonly in the legs and arms, although it can also affect other bones of the body. Primary bone cancers are usually referred to as sarcomas, of which there are several types. Each type of sarcoma affects a different type of bone tissue, with the most common being: chondrosarcoma; Ewing’s sarcoma; and osteosarcoma.

Chondrosarcoma: This type of bone cancer occurs mostly in adults. It affects the cartilage, which is the rubber-like tissue that is around the joints.

Ewing’s sarcoma: This bone cancer occurs most often amongst people between the ages of 10-25, with teenagers being most affected. It affects the shaft, or middle part of large bones. It usually occurs in the long bones of the upper arm and thigh and also the hipbones. It can also affect the ribs.

Osteosarcoma: This is the most common kind of bone cancer and it affects young people in the age group of 10-25 years. Males are more susceptible to it compared to females. Osteosarcoma usually begins where new bone tissue forms, at the ends of bones, as young people grow. The long bones of the legs and arms are usually affected by it.

Cancers like the above, which start in the bone, occur rarely. However, it is quite common for cancers to spread from the other parts of the body to the bone. This type of cancer is known as metastatic cancer. Around 80% of the metastatic cancers that affect the bone are due to primary carcinomas that affect other organs such as the prostate, breast, kidney, lung, stomach, pancreas, and thyroid. Each of these types of metastatic cancers, which affect the bone, is named according to the tissue or organ where the primary cancer occurs.

What are the Bone Cancer Symptoms?

The symptoms of bone cancer vary from one person to another according to the location and size of the bone cancer. Pain is one of the most common bone cancer symptoms. Generally, there is a gradual increase in the severity of the symptoms with time. At first, the pain may only be felt with activity or at night. According to the growth of the cancerous tumor, people may experience the symptoms for weeks, perhaps even months, sometimes even years until they seek medical help. Sometimes a lump or mass may occur either in the tissues that surround the bone or on the bone itself. This commonly occurs with fibrosarcoma or MFH, but can also occur with other types of bone tumors as well. Some of the less common bone cancer symptoms are weight loss, night sweats, chills, and fever. These symptoms usually occur when the cancerous tumor spreads to the other parts of the body.

Various factors affect the successful treatment of bone cancer, one of the most important being the early detection of the symptoms of bone cancer. Moreover, the recovery from this disease is largely dependent on the recognition and understanding of bone cancer symptoms. These symptoms are actually signs warning that something could be wrong. Hence, these symptoms of bone cancer should not be ignored. And, even though the symptoms may ultimately prove to be the root causes of some other ailment, it is better to make certain and not ignore these bone cancer symptoms.

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