“THE BEST INVESTMENT YOU’VE EVER MAKE

IS YOUR OWN HEALTH”

STORY OF A PATIENCE ABOUT BONE CANCER

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(Cancer survivor Caitlin Meaney is in recovery and back to playing in
her high school band after finishing chemo in April 2017.)

When Caitlin Meaney found out she had cancer, an avalanche of

thoughts tumbled through her mind.
"Will I be in bed all the time?"
"Will I ever ride a bike again?"
Last year, the then 14-year-old thought she'd twisted her right arm or
slept on her shoulder incorrectly. To make sure it didn't get worse, she
took a break from her favorite activities—playing sports, jumping on
her best friend's trampoline, and riding her bike with her dad.
"I thought I was just sore, and the pain would go away," she says.
"But it soon got to the point where I realized this wasn't just an 'I slept
on this wrong' problem. Something was up."
In April 2016, a family doctor diagnosed Caitlin with tendonitis and
prescribed physical therapy. When the physical therapist concluded
that the shoulder and arm weren't healing, an orthopedic specialist
was called in.
"An X-ray showed a mass," Caitlin recalls. "He didn't know what it
was, though. It could have been a bone infection or a tumor, but he
said, 'Don't freak out until we know what it is.'"

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A cancer diagnosis
To identify the mass, Caitlin was referred to Cedars-Sinai orthopedic
oncologist Dr. Daniel Allison in July 2016. After reviewing her
medical history, Dr. Allison suspected osteosarcoma, a type of bone
cancer that often appears in adolescence.
A battery of tests confirmed his suspicions: The source of Caitlin's
pain was a 9-inch cancerous tumor sitting on her shoulder.
"I don't think it hit me right away. It felt like a dream," says Caitlin. "I
kept telling myself, 'This isn't happening. This isn't happening.'"
Caitlin's treatment started with 10 weeks of intense chemotherapy,
followed by a surgery that removed the tumor and replaced part of the
bone in her arm with a titanium rod, then 20 more weeks of
chemotherapy, and finally physical therapy.

The best medicine

The day after Caitlin's first chemo treatment, she and her family went
to see Guns N' Roses at Dodger Stadium. To celebrate her last chemo
treatment, they went to a Green Day concert.
Caitlin comes from a family that loves making and listening to music.
Her father and brother play the guitar, and for 5 years, she has played
the trumpet.
"I always say music and laughter are a key part of happiness and
Caitlin and her family prove it," says Dr. Shivani Upadhyay, one of
the pediatric oncologists on Caitlin's care team. "She's amazing, as is
her family."
Marching on
Caitlin is 15 now and back to playing in her high school marching
band, this time as part of the percussion ensemble.
She admits it's a challenge, but she's up for it, especially since the
instruments she plays—like the snare, keyboard, and cymbals—give
her arms a workout, or as Caitlin puts it, "extra physical therapy."

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"A year ago, I was worried I wouldn't be able to ride a bike or get on a
trampoline. Now I can do anything I want!" she says.

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 Osteosarcoma is a type of bone
cancer that begins in the cells that form
bones. Osteosarcoma is most often found
in the long bones — more often the legs,
but sometimes the arms — but it can start
in any bone. In very rare instances, it
occurs in soft tissue outside the bone.

What Is Osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma, also called osteogenic sarcoma, is a kind of bone cancer.

It happens when the cells that grow new bone form a cancerous tumor.
Treatment -- chemotherapy and surgery to take out the tumor -- is
usually successful when the disease is diagnosed early, before it can
spread.

Anyone can have osteosarcoma, but it’s the most common kind of bone
cancer in children and teens. Teenage boys are most likely to get it.

Where does osteosarcoma start?

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In children and teens, osteosarcoma often happens at the ends of long
bones, where bone grows fastest.

Most tumors start around the knee,

in either the lower part of the
thighbone or the upper part of the
shinbone.

They also may grow in the upper

arm bone close to the shoulder.

But osteosarcoma can happen in any

bone, especially in older adults,
including your:

 Pelvis
 Shoulder
 Skull

Osteosarcoma Symptoms

Warning signs include:

 Swelling or lumps around bones or the ends

of bones
 Bone or joint pain or soreness. This pain may come and go for
months.
 Broken bones without a clear reason
 Pain at night
 Pain after exercise
 Limping

Some limb pain and swelling are common in active, growing children.
Talk to your doctor if these signs don’t go away in a couple of weeks or
if they get worse.

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Osteosarcoma Subtypes

Doctors divide osteosarcoma into three subtypes, based on what the

cells look like under a microscope:

High-grade osteosarcoma. This

is the fastest-growing type, with
cells that look unusual. Most
osteosarcomas in children and
teens are high-grade. The most
common kinds are:

o Osteoblastic
o Chondroblastic
o Fibroblastic

Low-grade osteosarcoma. This subtype

grows slowly. The cells look more like
regular bone.

o Parosteal (juxtacortical)
o Intramedullary or intraosseous well-differentiated

Intermediate-grade
osteosarcoma. This is in between
high- and low-grade tumors. It’s
rare. The main type is called
periosteal or juxtacortical.

Osteosarcoma Causes and Risk Factors

An error in your DNA, or your genetic code, causes osteosarcoma.

Bone-growing cells make tumors by mistake.

Some things may make you more likely to get osteosarcoma, including:

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  Age. Teenagers who are having a growth spurt are most likely to
get it, especially if the growth is happening quickly.
 Gender. Osteosarcoma happens more often in males.
 Height. Taller kids have a higher risk.
 Treatments like radiation therapy for other types of cancer or
cancer medicines called alkylating agents
 Health conditions tied to your genes, like Paget’s disease of the
bone, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Rothmund-Thomson syndrome,
Bloom syndrome, Werner syndrome, Diamond-Blackfan anemia,
or a type of eye cancer called hereditary retinoblastoma

Osteosarcoma Diagnosis
Your appointment may include:

 A medical history
and physical exam. Your
doctor will ask about your
personal and family health
histories. They’ll check for
unusual lumps around your
bones.
 Imaging tests. X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, bone scans, and PET
scans can show unusual changes in bones that may be signs of
osteosarcoma. They can also show areas where a tumor may have
spread.

Osteosarcoma Treatment

Treatment depends on several things,

including where the tumor is, how fast it's
growing, and whether it’s spread. Your
age and overall health will also factor in.

Treatment works best when you start

before the cancer spreads beyond your
bones to other tissues or organs. Most

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people find tumors early because they cause pain, swelling, or a limp.
Let your doctor know about warning signs like these so you can start
treatment as soon as possible.

Most people with osteosarcoma need surgery and chemotherapy.

Some also get radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy

“Chemo” uses strong medications to kill

cancer cells or stop them from growing.
You usually get them in your vein
through an IV.

Doctors treat most osteosarcomas with

chemo. The drugs may shrink the tumor,

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which can make surgery easier. They also get rid of small clusters of
cancer cells that doctors may not be able to see on medical scans.

Side effects include nausea and

vomiting, diarrhea, and a loss of appetite.
Children tend to have less severe side
effects from chemo than adults, so they
might get higher doses of medication.

Osteosarcoma Complications
Osteosarcoma and its treatment
can lead to complications
including:

 Bone fractures
 Wound infection and slow
healing
 Problems with a donor bone graft or prosthesis
 Chemotherapy side effects such as anemia,
bleeding, kidney or liver damage, hearing loss, and a higher risk
of other cancers,

Osteosarcoma Outlook

According to estimates, more than 76% of people who are diagnosed

before the cancer has spread live at least 5 more years. The same is true
of 65% of people whose tumors spread to nearby areas and of more than
26% of those whose cancer has spread farther.

After treatment, you’ll need regular checkups with your doctor to watch
for any long-term side effects and make sure the cancer doesn’t come
back.

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Osteosarcoma Support
A cancer diagnosis can
be hard to handle,
especially if it affects
your child. You may
want to consider joining
a support
group. Counseling is also a good option if the emotions are taking a
toll.

Let your family and friends know how they can support you. Chances
are, they want to help but may not know how.

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For more information just look for the link below for further
understanding and this output is for educational purposes only!

Note: picture used in the sample above is downloadable on google,

pictures are not mine!

References :
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/overcoming-osteosarcoma-caitlin.html
https://www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/types-of-cancer/sarcoma/osteosarcoma/
osteosarcoma-risks-and-prevention
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/osteosarcoma/causes-risks-
prevention.html

[Cite your source here.]

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