Bone cancer

Orthopedic oncology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of tumors and tumor-like conditions in the bones or soft tissues. If you are navigating a bone cancer or complicated orthopedic diagnosis, you can count on us to provide compassionate orthopedic care.

Finding out that you or your family member has cancer can lead to a range of emotions. We provide treatments tailored to your individual needs in an understanding environment. In addition to bone cancers, orthopedic doctors can help you with noncancerous conditions that affect bones and soft tissue. No matter how complex your diagnosis, our team is always prepared to provide you exceptional care.

Symptoms of bone cancer vary depending on the location and type of cancer. Symptoms can include:

• A dull aching pain that may worsen with activity or at night
• A lump at the tumor site
• Fever and night sweats
• Unexplained fractures

Your doctor will ask about your family and medical history, do a physical exam. They could also order certain tests to diagnose bone cancer. These may include:

• Biopsy to collect a sample of tissue from the tumor to examine whether the tissue is cancerous
• Computerized tomography (CT) scans to evaluate if the cancer has spread
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create detailed images of the body
• Positron emission tomography (PET) can show whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body
• X-rays of the affected area to see the location, size and shape of the cancer

We usually treat cancerous tumors with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. We’ll recommend a treatment plan that based the type and stage of cancer as well as your health history and goals.

Some noncancerous tumors resolve on their own. Your doctor may recommend monitoring a benign tumor with X-rays to detect any changes.

Learning your child has a bone or soft-tissue tumor can bring up many difficult emotions. We’re prepared to provide your child with exceptional and compassionate care. We treat the full range of cancerous and noncancerous bone and soft tissue tumors in children, teens and young adults. Our orthopedic oncology surgeons specialize in limb-sparing surgery for children with cancerous tumors, such as Ewing's sarcoma (a cancerous bone growth) and osteosarcoma.

We also diagnose, monitor and treat noncancerous bone tumors and bone growth disorders that affect children, such as:

• Enchondroma — tumors that can arise from cartilage
• Fibrous dysplasia — formation of fibrous tissue that can affect bone formation
• Osteochondroma — growths on the surface of growing ends of long bones
• Unicameral bone cysts