5 Common Reasons for Bone Cancer

Cancer is one of those medical conditions which is frighteningly getting more common each day. Although bone cancer is an uncommon disease it is still quite fatal if left unchecked.

Bone cancer mostly affects the long bones in our body, such as the bones in the arms and legs. Bone cancers are of several types, some of which develop solely in children while others are common for adults and children alike.

5 Reasons for Development of Bone Cancer

Bone cancer, as with any other cancer, can be caused due to multiple reasons. These causes may differ from person to person. However these are known to be the most common reasons for development of bone cancer in a person.

Check out these 5 top reasons for bone cancer to develop in a person:

5 Common Reasons for Bone Cancer

Genetics

There are several genetic factors that contribute to the growth of bone cancer in a person, including:

  • Neurofibromatosis – This type of cancer begins as a benign (non-cancerous) tumour in the nerves underneath the skin and other parts of your body. Several studies have shown that this cancer also increases the risk of bone sarcoma in the patient.
  • Li-Fraumeni Syndrome – This genetic condition is hereditary and often affects members of the same family. It is the result of the genes that are inherited from the parents by the child. This condition also increases the risk of other types of cancers, including bone cancer.
  • Down’s Syndrome – Studies have also shown that the risk of osteosarcoma is highly increased in people affected with Down’s syndrome. This includes adolescents and children alike.

Bone Disorders

There are several orthopaedic disorders that are also known to increase the risk of bone cancer in the patients, such as:

  • Osteochondroma/Chondroma – A type of benign (non-cancerous) bone tumour is called ‘Chondroma’ or ‘Osteochondroma’. This also increases the risk of developing bone cancer in the patient.
  • Ollier’s Disease – This is quite a rare condition and is also called as ‘Enchondromatosis’, which increases the chances of developing bone cancer in the patient. There is a 40% risk for people with Ollier’s disease to develop chondrosarcoma.
  • Paget’s Disease – In case a patient has Paget’s disease of the bone, then the risk of bone cancer increases significantly for that patient. This disorder is mostly seen in elderly people, those over 60 years of age.

Cancer Treatments

Risk of bone cancer also increases due to several cancer treatments which could have been performed to address other cancers, such as:

  • Radiotherapy – Prolonged exposure to radiation is known to cause bone cancer. The risk is significantly increased if the earlier treated area had bones.
  • Chemotherapy – This cancer treatment is also known to increase the risk of developing bone cancer in the patients later on.
  • Previous cancers – People who have suffered other types of cancers earlier, such as oral cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer and cervical cancer are more prone to bone cancer.

Age

Certain types of bone cancers are most common in younger people, such as osteosarcoma, which is seen mostly in young adults and teenagers. It is also seen affecting people in their advanced years, mostly those suffering from Paget’s disease of the bone.

Ethnicity

Numerous research studies have shown that Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, is 9 times more likely to develop in a person with Caucasian ethnicity as compared to African-American people.

These are the most common reasons that you are likely to develop the bone cancer in any of its various forms. It is highly advised to consult an expert oncologist for timely detection and prompt treatment.