Symptoms of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is one of the most common malignant bone tumors. Since osteosarcoma often occurs during the period of vigorous bone growth and development and is highly malignant, we must understand the symptoms of osteosarcoma in our daily lives, detect it early, treat it early, and reduce the patient's pain as much as possible. So, what are the symptoms of osteosarcoma?

Pain is an early symptom and may occur before the tumor appears. It is intermittent at first and gradually turns into continuous severe pain, especially at night. Pain of large malignant tumors occurs earlier and is more severe, often with a history of local trauma. Tumors near the joints of the bone ends are large, with varying hardness, tenderness, high local temperature, dilated veins, and sometimes pulsation can be felt. There may be pathological fractures. Overall health gradually declines to failure, and most patients have lung metastasis within a year.

Clinically, it often occurs in adolescents, less in the mandible and more in the maxilla, with a history of injury. The early symptoms are intermittent numbness and pain in the affected area, which then turns into persistent severe pain accompanied by reflex pain; the tumor grows rapidly, destroying the alveolar process and jawbone, causing loose and displaced teeth, facial deformities, and pathological fractures. On X-rays, it appears as irregular destruction, and those that expand from the inside to the outside are osteolytic; those that destroy the cortical bone and replace it with hyperplastic bone in a solar radiation arrangement are osteoblastic. Clinically, a mixed type with both of the above types can also be seen. In the late stage, serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase may be elevated in patients, and the tumor is easily metastatic to the lungs along the blood vessels.

The course of the disease varies from a few days to several years from the onset of symptoms to the time of treatment, with an average of 3 to 4 months. The most common site is around the knee joint. The earliest clinical symptom is pain, which is mostly dull and persistent, and the pain worsens after activity. The pain is more obvious at night. A lump appears in the affected area, and the growth rate of the lump is often measured in months. When the lump increases significantly, reactive effusion may occur in the adjacent joints, and joint movement is limited. Early pain often occurs suddenly after a minor injury. The swelling starts mildly and gradually worsens, presenting an eccentric spindle-shaped swelling. The hardness of the lump varies, depending on the texture of the tumor. Osteolytic lesions are softer than osteoblasts. The skin of the affected area is shiny, the surface veins are dilated, and the skin temperature rises. If the tumor is large and adjacent to the joint, it may affect joint function. Some patients have metastases to other parts when they seek medical treatment.

The size of the tumor may vary depending on the depth of the tumor and the extent of the tumor's invasion of soft tissue. The tumor is accompanied by tenderness, and its hardness varies depending on the amount of bone tissue contained in the tumor. When the tumor is large, blood vessels on the skin surface may become dilated.

When patients have the above symptoms, they must go to a regular hospital for diagnosis in time to avoid further development of the disease and affect the patient's treatment effect. Osteosarcoma not only seriously affects the patient's quality of life, but also may endanger the patient's life if it is not treated promptly and effectively. Therefore, after diagnosis, it is necessary to choose a regular and professional hospital for reasonable treatment to maximize the patient's life, improve the patient's quality of life, and enable the patient to achieve recovery or clinical survival with the tumor.

I hope that the above introduction to the symptoms of osteosarcoma will be helpful to everyone. At the same time, correctly understanding the symptoms of osteosarcoma can help detect the disease early and improve the cure rate of patients.