How to check for bone cancer in children? Be alert if you see these 7 symptoms

Children are in a critical period of physical development, and it is also an important stage of bone growth. At this time, if children have symptoms of joint pain or swelling, many parents will mistakenly think it is "growing pains." Here we remind all parents that children's unexplained bone pain should not be ignored, and they need to be alert to the invasion of bone cancer. So, what are the symptoms of childhood bone cancer, and how to check for childhood bone cancer? In the following content, we will give you a detailed answer.

What are the early symptoms of bone cancer in children?

1. A hard lump can be felt on the surface of the bone, which may or may not be painful.

2. Bone and joint pain or swelling, often worse at night and not necessarily related to activity; the pain may be constant and dull, or only painful when pressure is applied.

3. Spontaneous fracture.

4. Fever, weight loss, fatigue, and decreased mobility sometimes occur in advanced bone cancer. Benign bone cancer is generally painless.

5. If you have any of the above symptoms, especially unexplained lumps on the bones or chronic pain in the bones or joints, you should be diagnosed with bone cancer.

6. Long-term, inexpressible back pain. You may just have a back disease or back pain; but if treatment is ineffective, ask a doctor to diagnose whether you have a tumor in your spine.

7. One or more fractures with no apparent cause. After the fractures are treated, a doctor should diagnose you for osteosarcoma or osteoporosis.

The above are 7 early symptoms of childhood bone cancer. I hope parents can pay attention to them. If your child has similar symptoms, you should go to a regular hospital for relevant examinations as soon as possible to avoid delaying the disease and delaying your child's life.

How to check for bone cancer in children?

1. X-ray diagnosis: X-ray diagnosis is an important method for diagnosing bone cancer, and the diagnosis result is an important basis for diagnosis. The shadow of benign bone tumor is relatively regular, with uniform density, regular outer boundaries, and clear outline. There is no reactive shadow on the periosteum and no shadow in the soft tissue. The thinning and swelling of the osteolytic bone cortex is a characteristic of benign bone tumor. The shadow of malignant bone tumor is mostly irregular, with uneven density, irregular boundaries, unclear outline, and irregular damage to the bone cortex.

2. CT and MRI: They help determine whether the tumor has metastasized or is metastasizing, and the extent of the tumor's invasion of the surrounding area and the extension of the medullary cavity.

3. Bone marrow puncture diagnosis: After puncture, cancer cells can be seen, and the number exceeds 5% to 10%. When the number exceeds 20%, atypical plasma cells are seen, and the plasma cells are in small clusters. Osteosarcoma and osteoblastic metastasis will form a lot of regenerated bone, so the alkaline phosphatase value increases.

4. Pathological tissue diagnosis: Pathological tissue diagnosis is considered to be a method of diagnosis with a high accuracy rate. If the diagnosis site is not appropriate, the diagnostic data may be inaccurate, so pathological tissue diagnosis must be combined with clinical or X-ray diagnosis. Commonly used sampling and diagnostic methods include needle biopsy, incisional biopsy, frozen section, paraffin section, etc.

Symptoms of childhood bone cancer can be easily confused with common fractures, strains, and growing pains in life. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to changes in their children's bodies. If a child is unwell, parents should take the child to see a doctor in time and never be careless, so as not to miss the best time for treatment.