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| Symtoms |
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The first symptom of bone cancer
is usually pain or tenderness near the cancer. Bone pain is caused
by stretching of the periosteum (thick membrane that covers bone)
by the cancer, or by stimulation of nerves within the bone. Bone pain
may be hard to differentiate from ordinary low back pain or arthritis.
Usually the pain due to bone metastasis is fairly constant, even at
night. It can be worse in different positions, such as standing up,
which may compress the cancer in a weight bearing bone. If pain lasts
for more than a week or two, doesn't seem to be going away, and is
unlike other pain that may have been experienced, it should be evaluated
by a physician. A patient may also experience a pathological fracture as the first sign of bone cancer. A pathological fracture is a break in a bone due to problems within the bone itself rather than by external factors, such as force. Pathological fractures are caused when the cancer destroys enough bone that the skeleton can no longer support normal body functions adequately |
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Copyright ©2007 Dreamers |
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