Bone cancer refers to an unusual growth of bones. This condition can destroy the normal bone tissues and if not treated, bone cancer can spread to other parts of the body, known as metastasis Though bone cancer usually does not spread to other parts of the body, it can lead to broken or weak bones.
Bone cancer usually affects the pelvis and long bones of arms and legs. Bone cancer does not include cancer that begins in other parts of the body and spread to bones. It is an extremely rare form of cancer and makes up less than 1% of all cancers.
Some forms of bone cancer affect children while others mostly affect adults. It can be treated with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy, based on its type.
The exact reasons for bone cancer are yet to be discovered, however, doctors assume a few factors could lead to bone cancer. They are-
It is best if you visit the doctor at the earliest if you feel any symptoms of bone cancer since early diagnosis can help in reducing the spread of the disease.
Doesn’t matter if the tumour is can cancerous or not, it becomes difficult to identify bone cancer symptoms. Still, some symptoms that you can look out for are-
Bone cancer has four stages with substages of the first two. As the stage increase, it means that bone cancer has spread to a wider area (metastasis). Doctors consider stages 3 and 4 as the final stage. The following table includes more details:-
| Bone Cancer Stage | Condition |
|---|---|
| Stage 1A | The cancer is in low grade with 8cm or smaller size. |
| Stage 1B | At this stage, there is a high probability of having multiple tumours in the same bone with a size of over 8 cm. |
| Stage 2A | The tumour is smaller or equal to 8cm in size and of high grade. |
| Stage 2B | The size of the tumour is larger than 8 cm and is of high grade. |
| Stage 3 | A this stage, cancer develops multiple tumours in the same bone and the cancer is of high grade, |
| Stage 4 | At this stage, cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. |
Bone cancers can be classified into different categories based on where the cancer originated. The most common types of bone cancer include-
It is the most common form of bone cancer where the cancer cells form bones. It affects the arms and legs bones and most commonly occurs in children and young adults. In extremely rare conditions, it arises outside of bones, called extraskeletal osteosarcomas.
In this form of cancer, the cells produce cartilages which mostly affect the pelvis, arms, and legs in middle-aged or older people.
Ewing sarcoma mainly occurs in the pelvis, arms, or legs of young adults and children.
Since the root cause of bone cancer occurrence is unknown, therefore no exact prevention can also be suggested. However, trying to avoid radiation can possibly be a prevention against any form of cancer.
| Name of the Plan | Best Features |
|---|---|
| Care Comprehensive Cancer Health Insurance |
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| HDFC Life Cancer Care |
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| Aditya Birla Activ Cancer Secure Plan |
|
Having health insurance for bone cancer is beneficial in many ways-
Having the right insurance plan for bone cancer can help you in keeping hard-earned savings protected while making good treatment more accessible.
Having a good bone cancer policy can help you receive the best quality treatment from the best network hospitals, without worrying about the expenses.
Health insurance for bone cancer is an investment and helps cover your medical expense and relieve you of anxiety.
You can earn exemptions and tax benefits on the premium that you pay under section 80D.
Following features are generally included in a health insurance policy for bone cancer, however, it is always advised to check the policy papers for confirmation.
The following conditions are not covered under bone cancer policy plans:
Some of the early signs of bone cancer could be a pain in the bone, especially during nighttime, increased fragility of bone, swelling over a bone, night sweats, fevers, weight loss, limping, and fatigue.
Bone cancer can start from any bone in the body
Bone cancer has a high survival rate of 66.8% for 5 years from the time of diagnosis. While some may die due to bone cancer, most people survive.
Bone cancer could be hard to cure however its spread can be stopped with proper treatment and medication.
Bone pain can mostly be described as deep or penetrating pain which becomes worse at night.
During the night, the stress hormone level drops in the body which has an anti-inflammatory response, because of which the pain worsens.
To check for bone cancer, first, an X-ray needs to be done. By analyzing the report, it could be concluded whether a person is suffering from bone cancer or not.
Young adults and children within the age group of 10 to 30 are most common to catch the disease and bone cancer is more common in males than females.
Though blood tests are not needed for the diagnosis of bone cancer, however, it might be helpful.
Yes, bone cancer treatment is covered by health insurance.
Although no insurance covers a pre-existing disease like bone cancer, critical illness covers are available.
Most people live for 5 years or more after diagnosis of bone cancer, while few live up to 1 year after diagnosis.
Cancer in bones can cause pain and breakage of bones.
