X-rays and other radiological examinations like bone scintigraphy, MRI and CT scans are typically used to diagnose the condition. A complete blood count, inflammatory markers, serum electrophoresis, PSA, kidney and liver function, and other blood tests may be performed. Jones protein can be detected in urine. A biopsy for histological examination may be required to confirm the diagnosis. The non-ossifying fibroma is the most common bone tumor. After being diagnosed with bone and joint cancer, the average five-year survival rate in the United States is 67%. Between 1.6 and 1.8 million years ago, an osteosarcoma in a foot bone found in South Africa was the earliest known bone tumor. Bone tumors are typically categorized as either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Bone tumors and soft tissue tumors share a number of characteristics. The World Health Organization (WHO) updated their classification in 2020. Now, bone tumors are divided into cartilage tumors, osteogenic tumors, fibrogenic tumors, vascular tumors of bone, osteoclastic giant cell-rich tumors, notochordal tumors, other mesenchymal tumors of bone, and hematopoietic neoplasms of bone. There are two types of bone tumors: Primary tumors, which originate in the bone or from cells and tissues derived from the bone, and secondary tumors, which originate elsewhere and spread (metastasize) to the skeleton. The majority of cancers that spread to bone are prostate, breast, lung, thyroid, and kidney cancers. It is estimated that secondary malignant bone tumors are 50 to 100 times more prevalent than primary bone cancers.

Bone primary tumors can be classified as benign or malignant.The etiology of typical benign bone tumors can be neoplastic, developmental, traumatic, infectious or inflammatory. A few harmless growths are false neoplasms, yet rather, address hamartomas, specifically the osteochondroma. The distal femur and proximal tibia (around the knee joint) are the most common locations for many primary tumors, both benign and malignant. Osteoma, osteoid osteoma, osteochondroma, osteoblastoma, enchondroma, giant cell bone tumor and aneurysmal bone cyst are examples of benign bone tumors. There are a variety of malignant primary bone tumors, including osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and fibrosarcoma. Although Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (MFH), more commonly referred to as pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma, does occasionally occur primary in bone, current paradigms tend to view MFH as a wastebasket diagnosis and the current trend is toward using specialized studies (such as genetic and immunehistochemical tests) to classify these undifferentiated tumors into other tumor classes. Hematologic cancer of the bone marrow that frequently manifests as one or more bone lesions is known as multiple myeloma. Metastatic lesions that have spread from other organs, most frequently breast, lung, and prostate carcinomas, are referred to as secondary bone tumors. Primary bone cancers like osteosarcoma occasionally spread to other bones. It is difficult to obtain accurate statistics on the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of malignant bone tumors, particularly in older adults (those over 75 years old) due to the rarity of cure for widely metastatic carcinomas to bone. In cases like this, biopsies to locate the tumor's source are uncommon. The type of bone tumor and the affected bone segment determine the clinical features of a tumor. The tumor's pressure effect typically causes signs and symptoms.

With Regards,
Joseph Kent
Journal Manager
Journal of Trauma and Orthopedic Nursing