Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer conducting spine biomechanics research. He then attended medical school at University of Health Sciences. He is board eligible in orthopaedic surgery.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
What does the future hold for patients with bone cancer?
There has been much recent advancement in the understanding and treatment of
bone cancer. These have led to more focused radiation therapy to reduce the risk to surrounding tissues, better combinations of chemotherapy with less risk and side effects,
and improved treatment options, including limb-salvaging surgery, that
decrease the need for amputation.
There is currently much work being conducted in each of these areas as well as investigations into the causes of cancer. It is hoped that a better understanding of the specific causes of cancer will lead to gene-therapy techniques to target specific cancer cells with limited risk to other normal cells.
What resources are available for patients with bone cancer?
There are many resources available for patients with bone cancer. These include sources of information and emotional support.
American Cancer Society
1599 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
1-800-ACS-2345 http://www.cancer.org
The majority of cancer involving the bones is metastatic disease from other remote cancers. Primary bone cancer is much rarer.
Not all bone tumors are cancerous.
The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. The pain is usually mild initially and gradually becomes more intense.
Treatment of bone cancer includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Treatment is based on the size and location of the cancer and whether or not the cancer has spread from the bone to surrounding tissues.
REFERENCES:
Abed, R., and R. Grimer. "Surgical Modalities in the Treatment of Bone Sarcoma in Children."
Cancer Treat Rev. 36.4 June 2010: 342-347.
Ilaslan, H., J. Schils, W. Nageotte, S.A. Lietman, M. Sundaram. "Clinical Presentation And Imaging Of Bone And Soft-Tissue Sarcomas."
Cleve Clin J Med. 77 Suppl 1 Mar. 2010: S2-7.
Lietman, S.A., and M.J. Joyce. "Bone Sarcomas: Overview of Management, With a Focus on Surgical Treatment Considerations."
Cleve Clin J Med. 77 Suppl 1 Mar. 2010: S8-12.
Sheplan, L.J., and J.J. Juliano. "Use of Radiation Therapy for Patients With Soft-Tissue and Bone Sarcomas."
Cleve Clin J Med. 77 Suppl 1 Mar. 2010: S27-9.
Weber, K.L. "Evaluation of the Adult Patient (Aged >40 Years) With a Destructive Bone Lesion."
J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 18.3 Mar. 2010: 169-179.
Night sweats are severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. In order to distinguish night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Elbow pain is most often the result of tendinitis, which can affect the inner or outer elbow. Treatment includes ice, rest, and medication for inflammation. Inflammation, redness, warmth, swelling, tenderness, and decreased range of motion are other symptoms associated with elbow pain. Treatment for elbow pain depends upon the nature of the patient's underlying disease or condition.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
There are many causes of scalp hair loss. This featured article covers the common ones such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata, trichotillomania, and tinea capitis), telogen effluvium, and androgenetic alopecia (male-pattern baldness, female-pattern baldness).
Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that develops in plasma cells, the white blood cells that make antibodies. Symptoms include bone pain, weakness, extreme thirst, nausea, frequent urination, and broken bones. Treatment of multiple myeloma depends upon the staging and symptoms of the disease.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Fractures occur when bone cannot withstand the outside forces applied to the bone. Fractures can be open or closed. Types of fractures include: greenstick, spiral, comminuted, transverse, compound, or vertebral compression. Common fractures include: stress fracture, compression fracture, rib fracture, and skull fracture. Treatment depends upon the type of fracture.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
Rothmund-Thomson syndrome is a rare genetic. The signs and symptoms of Rothmund-Thomson syndrome include a redness on the cheeks (developed between the ages of 3 and 6 months); poikiloderma; sparse hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes; slow growth, teeth and nail abnormalities, infancy gastrointestinal problems, cataracts, skeletal abnormalities, bone and skin cancer. Mutations of the RECQL4 gene causes about two-thirds of the cases of Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. This syndrome is an inherited autosomal recessive pattern genetic mutation. Other names for Rothmund-Thomson syndrome include: congenital poikiloderma, poikiloderma atrophicans and cataract, poikiloderma congenitale, poikiloderma congenitale of Rothmund-Thomson, and RTS.
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