Malignant Tumour

Malignant bone tumours are cancers, and can be spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumours may be primary or secondary.

For example, a primary malignant bone tumour, also known as a bone sarcoma, is a tumour that arises directly from that bone. On the other hand, a secondary bone tumour is a tumour that has spread from another part of the body to that bone. This is also known as metastatic bone cancer, and most of them have spread from other primary tumours such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid cancer or melanoma.

Symptoms of malignant bone tumour can include pain in the bone, stiffness and bone tenderness.

The causes of most tumours are unknown, but risks may be increased if someone had previous radiotherapy, or has a family history of cancer.

Your Doctor will do a physical examination and take a medical history, they may request some of the following tests:

  • Blood test
  • X-ray
  • CT or MRI scans
  • PET scan
  • Bone biopsy

Your treatment will be specific to your case.

After careful history and physical examination, your surgeon will order appropriate tests, in order to get more information on the tumour, and also to determine if the tumour has spread to other parts of the body.

Sometimes a biopsy may be required to confirm the diagnosis. A biopsy is a sample of tissue, taken from the tumour. This is sent to a pathologist who examines the tissue under a microscope in order to confirm the diagnosis. Your case may also be discussed amongst a team of cancer specialists at an MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team) Meeting prior to elaborating a treatment plan.

Your surgeon will discuss your particular treatment plan in detail and answer any questions you may have at your appointment.

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