About Osteosarcoma Cancer
What Is Osteosarcoma?
While we may think of bone as hard or "dead," it is really a living tissue made up of living cells. There are several types of cells in our bones:
• Osteoblasts make the matrix of the bones, that is, the connective tissue and minerals that give the bones strength.
• Osteoclasts prevent too much bone matrix from building up. These cells help bones keep their shape. And they help control the amount of minerals in the blood.
• Bone marrow (found in some bones) contains fat cells and, most importantly, cells that make blood cells. All blood cells are made here.
There are 2 main types of bones: flat bones and long bones. Flat bones, such as those of the skull, help to protect organs like the brain. Long bones support the arms and legs.
Osteosarcoma is the most common type of cancer that starts in the bone. The cells that form this cancer produce bone matrix, like osteoblasts do. But the cancerous tissue of osteosarcoma is not as strong as normal bones.
Like other cancers, osteosarcoma can spread beyond the bone into nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also break away from the main tumor and spread through the bloodstream to other bones, or to the lungs or other organs. This process is called metastasis.
Osteosarcoma often starts near the ends of the long bones, especially around the knee, the part of the thigh bone next to the knee, and the part of the lower leg bone next to the knee. The arm bone near the shoulder is the second most common place for this cancer to start. But it can start in other bones as well. Cancer that starts in places such as the pelvis, shoulder, or jaw (as well as places where it's hard to do surgery) tend to have a poorer outcome.
Ewing’s tumor is the second most common kind of bone cancer in children. It is described in a second document, Ewing's Family of Tumors. Many bone tumors are not cancer. These are called benign (be-nine) bone tumors. Benign bone tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and most times are not dangerous. Sometimes the doctor needs to take a sample of the tumor (a biopsy) to tell whether it is cancerous or benign.
Subtypes of Osteosarcoma
There are several subtypes of bone cancer. The subtype is determined by how the cancer looks on x-rays and under the microscope. Some subtypes have a much better outlook for survival than others.
Based on how they look under the microscope, these cancers can be grouped as low grade, intermediate grade, or high grade. For example, if the tumor has many dividing cells and a lot of dead cells in the center, it is a high grade.
The overall grade is more important than the subtype because it tells the doctor how likely the cancer is to spread to other parts of the body. Low-grade tumors need to be removed, but the patient usually does not need chemotherapy. These tumors have a good outlook. Patients with high grade tumors need surgery and chemotherapy. Most osteosarcomas in children are high grade. If you or your child has bone cancer, ask the doctor to explain the subtype and what that means for treatment.
Side Effects
There are numerous side effects associated with the treatment of Osteosarcoma.
Hair Loss
Diarrhea
Nausea
Changes in taste
Anaemia
Skin Sensitivity
Hallucinations
Mood changes
Joint Pain
Lethargy
Kidney Damage
Liver Damage
Heart Damage
Hearing loss and tinnitus
Peripheral Neuropathy(Tingling and numbness in hands and feet)
Mucositus(severe mouth sores)
Secondary Cancer.
The picture to the left shows severe Mucositus which not only covers the mouth and lips,but runs down the Oesophagus.
The image to the left shows the effects of Steven Johnson's Syndrome and effects one in a million people, it is a very rare and severe allergic reaction to Azithromycin and ciprofloxacin antibiotic drugs.
