The signs of bone cancer depend on where and how large the cancer is. Common signs include:
- Pain in the bone and swelling. This is sometimes worse at night. Pain relievers don't reduce the pain.
- Unexplained fractures due to weakened bones
- Weight loss
- Difficulty moving
Causes and Risk Factors
Most people with bone cancers to do not have any apparent risk factors. People who have the following may be at higher risk of getting bone cancer:
- Inherited genes: a few bone cancers (especially osteosarcomas) appear to have a hereditary basis
- Retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer of children. Children with an inherited form of retinoblastoma also have an increased risk for developing osteosarcoma. Also, the radiation used to treat children with retinoblastoma increases their risk of osteosarcoma in the bones of the skull.
- Paget's disease, a benign but precancerous condition that affects one or more bones. This mostly affects people older than 50 with the formation of abnormal bone tissue. Bone cancer may develop in 5% to 10% of severe cases of Paget's disease, usually when many bones are affected.
- Many overgrowths of bone tissue
- Many benign tumors formed by bone and cartilage. Most of these are cured by surgery. There is a slight risk that they may develop into cancer.
- Multiple benign cartilage tumors, which put people at a slightly higher risk of developing bone cancer
- Exposure to large doses of radiation
There is no evidence that injury to a bone leads to bone cancer.