Osteosarcoma teen cancer

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer in teens. Osteosarcoma usually appears in male teens during their growth spurts in early puberty. Osteosarcoma affects twice as many male teenagers as female teens and tends to present itself in taller than average teenagers.

The most common symptoms of osteosarcoma are pain and swelling in an arm or leg that is sometimes accompanied by a lump. Some teens experience this pain during the night or when they exercise. Osteosarcoma is most often found in the bones around the knee but can occur in other bones as well such as elbox and shoulder joints. In rare cases, a tumor can spread beyond the bone and begin to affect local blood vessels and nerve endings.

Treatment for osteosarcoma usually involves chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove the tumor or lump. In rare cases where chemotherapy treatment is unable to fight the cancer the limb affected my need to be amputated to prevent the spread of the cancer to other areas of the body. In slightly less extreme cases, or as an intermediate measure, doctors may remove just the portion of bone being affected and fill the gap with a meta pin or rod.

Losing a limb can be devastating for a teenager and so counseling and physical therapy is offered post-surgery. Teens who have amputations are usually fitted with a prosthesis which can help them adapt.

Teens suffering from osteosarcoma can develop side effects such as hair loss, skin infections and heart problems.