10 Symptoms of Bone Cancer
There are some typical symptoms that may signal the existence of bone cancer. It is important to understand these symptoms for yourself or your child and seek immediate medical advice at the first signs of illness.
- Pain: This is the number-one symptom of bone cancer. It may begin slowly and might not elicit much attention from the sufferer at first. Often, the pain starts in the night hours or after the person has been physically active and gets increasingly more difficult to ignore. As the tumor grows in size, the pain will increase and become more persistent. However, in some cases, the individual shrugs off the pain, and medical intervention is not sought for a period of months or even years.
- Swelling: Depending on where the tumor is located, the patient may complain of swelling or feel a lump in the affected area. If you ever feel a lump or notice unusual and unexplainable swelling, notify your physician and schedule an appointment to have an examination.
- Numbness or tingling: A mass can put pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that reside nearby, causing a feeling of tenderness, tingling or lack of sensation. This type of discomfort is a warning sign that something is interfering with the body’s natural flow of blood and internal communications and warrants a trip to the doctor for advice and potential testing.
- Bone fractures: The pressure the mass places on the bone can cause the bone to suddenly fracture and will cause extreme pain in the area of the break. An unexplained fracture is often a red flag for bone cancer or other serious bone disease.
- Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss: Cancer is often accompanied by other physical symptoms that may not directly indicate the location of the tumor or mass that is growing inside the patient. Weight loss that was not planned and is not expected is a signal that the body is not functioning properly, and loss of appetite in a previously healthy eater is a symptom worth examining more closely.
- Fatigue: A general feeling of being unwell, being exhausted or an overall lack of energy can be symptoms of a more serious health concern. If you’ve been feeling symptoms of fatigue, you should discuss this ailment, as well as any others, with your physician.
- Limited movement: If you suddenly feel a loss of mobility in an arm or leg, you may have a mass that is putting pressure on your joint or is causing swelling that may limit your ability to move. A doctor can order tests such as an x-ray or MRI that will be able to identify any cause for this complaint.