Optical Biosensors for Detection of Cancer Biomarkers: Current and Future Perspectives
Bone Cancer
Bone cancer can arise in any of the bones of the body but it is most commonly seen in the long bones of the arms and legs. It has the ability to attack the body within the first 20 years of life when maximum growth in the musculoskeletal system takes place.
Primary bone cancers originate in the bone tissue. Common types are osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Other rare bone cancers include fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, angiosarcoma and chordoma. Secondary bone cancer occurs when cancer cells from other parts of the body migrate to the bone tissue. High dose radiotherapy, Paget's disease, rare inherited genetic disorders such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) and hereditary retinoblastoma increase the chances of developing primary bone cancers.
TypesThere are different types of cancers identified by the organ or tissue that it originates from. As the name suggests, bone cancer simply means cancer that originates in the bone. Bone cancer can arise in any of the bones of the body but it is most commonly seen in the long bones of the arms and legs. They are broadly classified into
Although the exact cause of bone cancer is not yet known, it is thought to be related to changes taking place in the bones during their growing phase. Cancer develops due to an abnormal cell that either has some genetic alterations or is damaged due to external factors. The abnormal cell multiplies out of control to form a tumor or may migrate to other parts of the body. Here are a few factors that increase the risk of developing primary bone cancers:
There is an evident lack of awareness and understanding about bone cancers in the public domain, which is often the main reason for its delayed diagnosis. Because people hardly know about bone cancers, the initial signs and symptoms are often neglected. Plus, bone cancers markedly differ from other cancers in their nature, distribution and prognosis. Therefore, the associated signs of cancer are not totally the same as seen in other cancers. The first sign of bone cancer in children is painful bones and joints, which is easily mistaken for minor sporting injury or growing teenager pain. If this sign goes unnoticed it may worsen with time and significantly reduce survival rates.
So, if you or your child experiences the following symptoms persistently, do not ignore. Seek medical help immediately.
Diagnostic tests include blood test to determine alkaline phosphatase level, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and biopsy.
Alkaline phosphatase test:
Initially, the doctor may suggest a few laboratory tests. In India, alkaline phosphatase test is a key test for detecting bone cancers. Alkaline phosphastase is chemical substance that is particularly present in higher concentrations in the blood in the presence of highly active bone-forming cells. A positive test indicates abnormal bone tissue.
Imaging test
Biopsy of the suspected tissue is crucial for definite diagnosis. A small sample of the tissue is removed from the body and is examined under the microscope to detect abnormal cells. Biopsy is also used to confirm the stage and grade of cancer by analyzing the features of abnormal cells.
TreatmentIn the past, the only available option to treat bone cancer was to surgically remove the affected limb. With growing technological advances and development in health care, bone cancer surgeries are carried out in 90% of patients worldwide without the need to amputate the limb.
Since bone cancers mainly affect children, pediatric oncologists face several challenges in the treatment of bone cancers. This is because bone cancer treatment involves radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy that can have an adverse effect on the growth and development of children.
The treatment is decided depending on various factors such as the type of primary bone cancer, its exact location, the stage and grade of cancer, the extent of reach and the size of tumor, and the overall general health of the patient. Also read Latest advances in cancer treatments
Radiotherapy is a treatment which involves the use of high-energy radiation beams targeting cancerous tissue or tumor. The high radiation beam damages the DNA of abnormal cells rendering them incapable to multiply. The only disadvantage is that radiation also harms surrounding healthy cells. However, healthy cells are resilient and can recover fully whereas cancer cells are sensitive to radiation and get killed rapidly. Read more about radiotherapy. In the treatment of bone cancer, radiation therapy is used:Bone cancer treatment in India
In India, bone cancer surgery is very common because of the increased success rate. Today India has emerged as one of the crucial centers for bone cancer surgery. The availability of good treatment facilities and experienced cancer surgeons has even attracted international patients for surgical treatment.
Here's a list of leading hospitals in India that provide bone cancer treatment:
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children.
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X-ray Changes Life Forever
Rachel GuernseyBy Forrest Hershberger
News Editor
A little more than a year ago, Rachel Guernsey was focused on the coming basketball season, and curing a pain in her arm and chest area.
At first, doctors believed the pains to be growing pains, literally, or possibly pneumonia. A chest x-ray revealed a tumor on one of her ribs, and life for Rachel changed from that moment forward.
She was first diagnosed with cancer, osteosarcoma, on March 26 of this year. She started chemotherapy on April 1. She is currently on week 12 of a 22-week chemotherapy assignment.
The treatments disrupt her school time and give her a unique identity when she is in school, she says. She says she is behind in classes because it is difficult going to school when you don't feel well.
Homework is brought home by her mother or a student; sometimes a teacher will stop by with an assignment or test.
"Most of the time I try to get to school," Rachel says.
One of the challengesis com-batting the nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy. The nausea medicine can make her sleepy.
Rachel has friends stop by the house as often as possible. The family works to keep life as normal as possible.
The news of cancer struck the Guernsey household like it would most families. The shock set in, followed by looking for a cause or culprit.
"When Dr. Clark first said it might be cancer, I kind of broke down a little bit," Rachel said.
Her mom Becky, a smoker, almost immediately blamed herself.
"I'm a smoker, so of course there was guilt," she said.
The family learned Rachel has one of the less terminal, more treatable types of bone cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic website, osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that begins in the cells that form bones.
It is most often found in the long bones in arms and legs. Rachel had surgery earlier this year to address a tumor on her fourth rib. Osteosarcoma is not defined in stages like other cancers. If it spreads, radiation is prescribed.
"That was some of the goods news in the dark tunnel," Becky said.
The diagnosis brought with it anxiety and moments of stress. Rachel and her mother address the two in different ways. Rachel said she escapes to her music, while her mom Becky takes time to cry. Rachel says she goes back to music she recalls from her childhood, music her dad likes.
The osteosarcoma diagnosis has changed the way the family views life from that point forward. They have learned to live life one day at a time, taking nothing for granted and planning for trips to Children's Hospital: clothes packed, vehicles fueled and ready and funds budgeted for driving to Denver, having a place to stay and food to eat.
Schoolwork is included in some of the Denver trips. It has to. Otherwise, Rachel gets even further behind in classwork.
"It gets really hard, frustrating to say 'I know you feel like crap, but you have to do this,'" Becky said.
The hard part, Rachel says, is she can't always be there to hear the lessons and consequently she sometimes misses what is needed to complete assignments.
The social part of attending school is a paradox mixed with frustration. Rachel doesn't consider herself to have many friends. However, now that she is known to have cancer much of the school comes to help her. She admits she questions how many of these students will be her friends when she returns to a normal life.
"I feel when all this is done, everyone is going to go back to ignoring me," she said.
Sterling Middle School students are quick to help her when she is at school, she says. She attends school in a wheelchair, and needs a volunteer to push her around the building. Becky said students are also quick to clear the hallway for her.
The osteosarcoma diagnosis will remain with her for the rest of her life. She will be scheduled for bone scans and tests to ensure the cancer does not flare up, they said. If Rachel's cancer does return, the process starts over: chemotherapy, possible radiation treatment, and diagnostic tests to monitor the cancer.
Sterling Middle School is working with Fox 5 Theater to help the family with expenses. The movie Disney movie "Frozen" will be played at 1 p.M. On Sat., Nov. 22, for $10 per ticket.
All ticket proceeds and a portion of the concession sales will go toward Rachel's medical expenses. Tickets can be purchased at Sterling Middle School.
Becky said most of the medical expenses are related to trips to the Denver area for treatment: overnight stays, food and transportation costs.
Rachel and Becky said the community has been generous to the family since her illness started in 2013.
Originally Published: November 13, 2017 at 4:05 PM MST
Teens Who Became Friends After Sharing Same Bone Cancer Diagnosis Go To Prom Together: 'Perfect Night'
Throughout her cancer treatments, 17-year-old Vivian Eagle focused on one thing: going to prom. This month, she got to do just that with a friend who knows exactly what she went through: 18-year-old Cade Thompson, who was diagnosed with the same bone cancer.
The pair met a month after the high school junior from Avon, Ind., was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. At the time, Cade, who lives nearby in Indianapolis, had just completed his treatments. He showed her his scars and the two became fast friends as he supported her through her chemo and surgery.
And on Saturday May 13, he escorted her to her high school prom.
"It was so fun," Vivian tells PEOPLE. "I completely forgot about everything. It was just like I was a normal teenager again."
The following week, the pair returned to Riley Children's Health, where they both were treated, in their prom regalia to thank their medical team and spread hope to other pediatric cancer patients.
"They're the reason that we're here today," Cade says. "I feel like I owe that to them for them to see me healthy."
Vivian Eagle and Cade Thompson.Courtesy Riley Children’s Health
Cade was a five-sport athlete who broke track records in eighth grade and was a starting varsity football player his freshman year. 'I had big sports plans," says the teen whose family tree includes dad Ryan Thompson, a retired MLB player who played for nine seasons with teams like the Yankees and Astros, and brother Broc Thompson, who plays football at Purdue University.
But while jumping off a diving rock in the summer of 2020, Cade felt his knee give out. "I thought it was just growing pains," Cade tells PEOPLE.
Instead, after seeing a doctor he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Cade Thompson and Vivian Eagle.Courtesy Riley Children’s Health
Vivian, a volleyball player and high jumper, first noticed her knee felt wrong in November 2021.
"I was used to aches and pains everywhere," she says. "I thought it would just go away, so I ignored it."
A month later, she told her parents, but it wasn't until her coach saw her limping at practice that the teen was given an ultimatum: go to a doctor or sit out the next game. In January 2022, she received her diagnosis.
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The two teens met that February thanks to Vivian's mother, a high school biology teacher who knew one of Cade's teachers. At the time, Cade had just finished his chemo, and Vivian was about to start hers.
"We just connected," Vivian says.
They are not boyfriend-girlfriend (although Vivian is friends with Cade's girlfriend), but "best friend" or "brother and sister" aren't the right words to describe their relationship, she says. Cade agrees. "It's a one-of-a-kind friendship," he says.
"He's like my second half," she adds. "We've only known each other for a year, but it feels like we've known each other our whole lives."
Vivian finished her last round of chemo and started going to school in person again in October. To celebrate, she decided to ask Cade if he would escort her to homecoming. Unfortunately, he had another commitment that night, but he promised he would take her to the prom.
And he didn't just act as her date — he gave her the full experience.
The week before the big dance, Vivian was in biology class dissecting a pig when the dean called her out of class. "I thought I was in trouble," she says. But there was Cade with a sign-filled promposal, which she wasn't expecting.
"I started crying," she says. "It just made me so happy."
"She deserved it. We've both been through a lot," Cade says. "Seeing her happy made me happy."
Vivian Eagle and Cade Thompson.Courtesy Riley Children’s Health
For the dance, Cade suggested they wear yellow, the color for osteosarcoma awareness. Vivian found a frothy yellow gown she loved, and even though it was out of her family's budget, she sent a picture to Cade and his mom anyway.
Cade's mother called the store owner and asked if Vivian could borrow the gown for prom. Instead, the store owner, also a cancer survivor, gifted Vivian her dream dress.
The goal of the evening was for Vivian to have her "perfect night" — and she did, heels included!
"I forgot about my leg. I was bouncing around, jumping around. We were just screaming all the songs," she says. "It was so fun."
Vivian Eagle and Cade Thompson with their Riley Childrens Health team.Courtesy Riley Children’s Health
For both athletes, their future plans have pivoted. Cade said goodbye to his professional sports career, but just signed with an agency and is hoping to start modeling and acting.
Vivian had hoped to attend college on an athletic scholarship, now, thanks in part to Cade's recovery, she's considering a possible career in competitive adaptive ski racing.
"Plans change and life changes," Cade says. "I feel like hope is the biggest thing and being happy will get you a lot farther than being upset."
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