All about Bone Marrow Cancer
Bone marrow cancer occurs due to cancer spreading to the bone from some other organ, when it is referred to as secondary bone cancer. 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. 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 is when the cells that form blood.
Basically, there are two types of bone marrow cancer, they are primary and secondary. Primary bone cancer is cancer that forms in cells of the bone. Some types of primary bone cancer are osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Bone Marrow Disease that comes from cancer that spreads to the bone from another organ is known as secondary bone cancer. There are also other bone marrow cancer types that start in the blood forming cells of the bone marrow like:
* Leukemia – when bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells
* Lymphomas – which more often start in lymph nodes, but can sometimes start in bone marrow
* Multiple Myeloma – cancer that develops from the plasma cells of the bone marrow
Different type of bone marrow cancer will need different Bone Marrow Treatments.
Signs and Treatments for Bone Marrow Cancer
Bone marrow cancer usually occurs in the shafts of long bones. Bone Marrow Cancer Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, poor appetite and weight loss. However, the early symptoms of bone marrow cancer may be so sporadic and subtle that the patient may not see a doctor until the bone marrow cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Some of the other 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. You should note that these symptoms do not necessarily indicate cancer. The signs of bone marrow cancer will also vary based on the location and size of the 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.
Bone Marrow Cancer Life Expectancy
Bone marrow cancer is caused due to the formation of a tumor within the bone structure, specifically affecting the bone marrow, the soft, spongy tissue area inside the bone. Bone cancer life expectancy depends on various factors.
Apart from factors like the sex, age, race, the overall health of the person, the time span for which the patient has had the symptoms and the kind of treatment the patient is going through; the bone marrow cancer life expectancy depends on the stage of the tumor formation or the extent to which the cancer has spread.
