Ewing's sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises in the bones or surrounding soft tissues, causing symptoms such as pain or constant sore in a region of the body with bone, excessive tiredness or the appearance of a fracture without an apparent cause.
Although it can appear at any age, this type of cancer is much more common in children or young adults between 10 and 20 years of age, usually starting in a long bone, such as those in the hips, arms or legs.
Depending on when it is identified, Ewing's sarcoma can be cured, however, it is usually necessary to do high doses of chemotherapy or radiation to completely eliminate the cancer. For this reason, even after finishing the treatment, it is necessary to have regular consultations with the oncologist to check if the cancer returns or if the side effects of the treatment appear later.
Main symptoms
In the initial stages, Ewing's sarcoma does not usually cause symptoms, however, as the disease progresses, some signs may appear, such as:
- Pain, feeling of pain or swelling in a place on the body with bone; Pain in the bone that worsens during the night or with physical activity; Excessive tiredness without apparent cause; Constant low fever for no apparent reason; Weight loss without being on a diet.
In addition, in more advanced stages, Ewing's sarcoma causes weakening of the bones, which can result in the appearance of easy fractures for no apparent reason.
Generally, when the first symptoms of Ewing's sarcoma appear, most patients already have a metastasis elsewhere in the body, which makes the condition even more severe and difficult to resolve.
What causes Ewing's sarcoma
The specific cause of Ewing's sarcoma is not yet known, however the disease does not appear to be hereditary and, therefore, there is no risk of passing from parents to children, even if there are other cases in the family.
How to confirm the diagnosis
Initially Ewing's sarcoma can be quite difficult to identify, as the symptoms are similar to more common problems such as sprains or ligament tears. However, when the doctor does an X-ray it is possible to identify changes in the bone that lead to suspicion of sarcoma.
That way, the doctor can order other tests such as CT scan or MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
How the treatment is done
Treatment for Ewing's sarcoma is usually started with chemotherapy sessions to eliminate most cancer cells and shrink the tumor.
After that, the doctor may advise surgery to remove the affected piece of bone and the surrounding tissue. Depending on the size of the tumor, it may be necessary to remove only a piece or even the entire limb. Thus, the result of the surgery should always be well discussed with the doctor.
Finally, the doctor may re-advise treatment with chemotherapy or radiation to eliminate small cancer cells that have not been completely removed.
Since it is not possible to know with precision if the cells are already scattered in other parts of the body, after treatment it is necessary to have recurrent consultations and tests, to confirm that the cancer is not developing.