Bone Cancer

Some Basic Background Information

    Many cancers can spread to the bones. Such cancers which spread, or metastasize, are breast cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, and cancer of the knee. Though these cancers may spread to the bones, they are still named for the tissue or organ from which they arose.
    Unlike these types of cancers which metastasize, true bone cancers are tumors that arise from the tissue of the bones. These concers are quite rare in comparison to cancers which have metastasized.
    True bone cancer affects over 2,000 people in the U.S. each year. The arms and legs are the most likely affected bones but bone cancer can occur in any bone. Though adults can develop bone cancer, children and young people are more likely than adults to develop such cancer. The symptoms of bone cancer depend on the type, location and size of tumor, and will most likely develop quite slowly. Pain is the most frequent symptom of bone cancer, but sometimes a lump on the bone can be felt through the skin.

The most common forms of primary bone cancer are:

Osteosarcoma, which occurs primarily in growing bone tissue. This tu

Chondrosarcoma, which occurs in cartilage

Ewing's sarcoma, which arises primarily in immature tissue in bone marrow 


 *The most common types of bone cancer occur more frequently in children and young adults, while other bone cancer is primarily found in adults over 50.

Wayman Tisdale

Former NBA player Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated because of bone cancer. Tisdalewas a healthy, 6-foot-9 Tulsa native who played for Oklahoma before playing inthe NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Pheonix Suns for 12 seasons. On february 8, 2007, Tisdale discovered he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home. Tisdale is now an award-winning jazz musician who underwent extensive treatment and had knee replacement surgery. Even though Tisdale had to have a portion of his leg removed, he believes it has given him a new outlook on life and the removal of the leg would ensure that the cancer would not return. Tisdale was an amazing athlete who became one of the first freshman to make the Associated Press' first-team All-American list, and also play on the U.S. Olympic team to win a gold medal in 1984. Even after such a drastic change in lifestyle, Tisdale continued to do what he loved, play jazz. With such love and persistence, his amputation has not hindered his success and he continues to go on tours and produce records with a most recent album, Rebound, in 2008. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 63% of people diagnosed with bone cancer live at least 10 more years, and it seems Wayman Tisdale may just fit in with the 63%, maybe even living longer. 
video: 2:00 minutes
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3555049