Bone cancer can start in any bone in the body, but it usually affects the pelvis or long bones such as the leg or hand. However, it is rare making up less than 1% of all cancers. About six out of ten people with bone cancer will live at least five years since their diagnosis, and many make a full recovery.
Symptoms of bone cancer can range from swelling, noticing a lump around the affected bone. In some cases, the cancer causes problems and difficulty while moving, weakens the bone, making it easily breakable. Some of the less common symptoms include excessive sweating, especially at night, sudden weight loss and high temperature.
Biopsy is the most definitive way of diagnosing bone cancer, taking a sample of the affected bone and send it to a laboratory for testing.
Treatment for bone cancer depends on the type of bone cancer, how far it has spread and general health. The main treatments are surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
