Primary bone cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the bone tissue. This is a rare form of cancer. Most of the bone cancers that we see are secondary bone cancers i.e., cancer that originates in other tissues like the lungs, breasts, or prostate. Primary bone cancers are of different types. These include osteosarcoma, Ewing tumor, chondrosarcoma, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, giant cell tumor of the bone, and chordoma.
“Most of the primary bone cancers affect younger people and children while secondary bone cancers are more commonly seen in older adults,” says Dr. Shiva Kumar Uppala consultant surgical oncologist and minimal access surgeon at Oncolndia, Bangalore. Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary tumor and often presents as pain in the bone affected.
Swathi (name changed), a 14-year-old student started developing constant knee pains. Initially, her parents did not think much of it. They assumed that Swathi being an active child might have injured or sprained her leg while playing. However, the pain refused to subside even after a week and soon she was finding it difficult to even stand up as it grew into a piercing pain. The general doctor they visited referred them to Dr. Shiva Kumar after an X-ray revealed some abnormal growth in her left tibia.
Dr. Shiva Kumar immediately ordered a needle biopsy which confirmed his suspicions. Swetha was suffering from high-grade osteosarcoma. “A high-grade osteosarcoma is more dangerous as it tends to be larger and spreads to other organs. It also requires a more complex surgery in order to avoid amputation,” says Dr. Shiva Kumar. Luckily for Swetha, Dr. Shivakumar is one with a special interest in the field of musculoskeletal oncology of the best in India.
Swetha’s treatment plan started with chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumor in her tibia. When the tumor size is smaller limb-sparing surgery could be performed with better results. Dr. Shiva Kumar and his team successfully removed the tumor from the tibia while managing to keep the appearance and function of the leg intact to the most extent. An internal prosthetic was used to replace the portion of the bone that was removed. “A bone graft or prosthetic is used to replace the removed bone so that the patient can continue to live a normal life,” says Dr. Shiva Kumar.
“The main aim of the surgery is to remove the tumor and prevent the spread of bone cancer to other internal organs. However, ensuring good quality of life after surgery is also as important,” says Dr. Shiva Kumar. Till a few years back the only solution to treating bone cancer was amputation. With the advent of technology, this has changed. Bone grafts, newer and better prosthetics, etc have improved the chances of patients having a near-normal life.
“Swetha has a long road back to complete recovery. She will need multiple sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy before she can be completely bone cancer free. However, the success of the limb-sparing surgery has ensured that she has an excellent chance of recovery,” says Dr. Shiva Kumar.
