bone cancer
Meaning of bone cancer: Bone cancer includes primary tumors that arise directly within bone tissue and secondary tumors that spread there from cancer elsewhere in the body.
Definition of bone cancer
Bone cancer refers to cancer involving the bone, which can arise in two distinct ways. Primary bone cancer begins within the bone itself, arising from the cells that make up bone or its supporting tissue, while secondary bone cancer, also called metastatic bone cancer, develops when cancer that began in another organ spreads to the bone.
Primary bone cancer is relatively uncommon and includes several distinct types, such as osteosarcoma, which arises from bone forming cells, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, which arises from cartilage, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma, each with a different typical age of onset and pattern of growth.
Secondary bone cancer is considerably more common than primary bone cancer and most often originates from cancer of the prostate, breast, or lung, since these cancers have a particular tendency to spread to bone, producing pain or, less often, a fracture at the involved site.
Used in a sentence
Imaging was ordered to evaluate for possible bone cancer after the patient reported persistent bone pain.
Good to know
Secondary bone cancer, spreading from another organ, is considerably more common than primary bone cancer arising directly within the bone, an important distinction when interpreting a new finding of cancer in bone.