Bone Tumor
When cancer is discovered in the bones, it is far more common that the cancerous tissue originated elsewhere in the body before spreading to the bones. Types of cancers that spread to the bones are breast, lung, kidney, and prostate cancer. Primary bone cancer – when the cancer begins in the bones – is rare.
High Risk of Bone Fractures
The presence of cancer in the bones can cause significant pain, primarily due to compression fractures caused by a weakened bone structure. These fractures tend to occur in the spine, arms, and legs.
Why It Occurs
Two types of cells in your bones work together to help maintain strong, healthy bones:
- Osteoblasts create new bone tissue
- Osteoclasts break down and resorb old bone
Bone cancer triggers these cells to operate on overdrive – causing either too much new-bone creation or too much bone to be broken down. In both cases, the result is weak, brittle bones that are highly susceptible to fracture.
Signs & Symptoms of Bone Cancer
Pain is often the first symptom a patient experiences when cancer spreads to the bones. In addition to an increased risk of bone fractures, tumors can cause compression of the spinal cord, which can lead to paralysis. Aggressive or late-stage bone tumors can result in significant mobility problems and a dramatic decrease in a patient’s quality of life.
Signs and symptoms of malignant bone tumors include:
- Bone pain that:
- increases at night (when cortisol levels are lower)
- improves with activity
- Broken bones, often in the spine
- Back pain, neck pain
- Leg numbness, weakness, or difficulty moving the legs
- Incontinence
When a bone tumor is discovered and treated early on, it can prevent some of these symptoms and complications.
Your Minimally Invasive Treatment Options
Minimally invasive treatment options are available to treat the bone tumor as well as stabilize the bone to prevent pain and worsening of fractures.
At Florida Endovascular and Interventional, we regularly perform several outpatient interventional oncology procedures for patients suffering from metastatic bone disease. These safe and effective imaging-guided procedures offer quick and long-lasting pain relief and may include:
Radiofrequency thermal ablation involves use of a special probe that is inserted through the skin to heat and destroy the target tissue.
During this minimally invasive procedure, bone cement is injected into a broken bone to fuse bone fragments together and strengthen the bone. It is used to alleviate pain and prevent further damage to a painful vertebral compression fracture of the spine.
A balloon-tipped probe is inflated within a broken bone, creating a space that is then filled with injected bone cement. This is used to restore the original height of the fractured bone and alleviate pressure on the spine.
Similar to a vertebroplasty, a sacroplasty involves injecting bone cement into a fractured bone in the sacrum (at the base of the spine).
Bone Tumor Treatment in South Florida
Get long-lasting pain relief with interventional oncology treatments at Florida Endovascular and Interventional in South Florida. Our board-certified interventional radiologists have the experience, training, and know-how to precisely target the bone tumor causing your symptoms.
Call Florida Endovascular and Interventional at (786) 534-2555 to find out more. Or simply request an appointment now. We look forward to seeing you at one of our convenient locations in Miami Lakes, Plantation, and Aventura.
