Bone Cancer Causes & Risk Factors - OmniMedicalSearch.com

Although doctors do not know the exact causes of bone cancer, medical research has identified a number of factors that may place a person at increased risk for bone cancer.

Age: Bone cancers are more common in children and young adults when bones grow rapidly.

Medical Disorders:

A. Hereditary medical disorders: A very small number of bone cancer cases appear to have a hereditary cause. For example, children that suffer from hereditary retinoblastoma (a rare form of eye cancer) and Rothmund-Thompson syndrome (a medical disorder where children are short and suffer from skeletal problems and rashes), or adults with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (a hereditary disorder caused by a mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene) and multiple exostoses (a hereditary disorder characterized by bone bumps, deformities and fractures) are at higher risk to develop bone cancer, especially osteosarcomas.

B. Non-hereditary medical disorders: Adults that suffer from Paget's Disease [a bone disorder, common in middle-age adults and elderly, characterized by an abnormal development of new bone cells and excessive bone destruction and disorganized bone structure, leading to heavier and thicker bones, frequent fractures and skeletal deformities] and osteochondroma (benign tumors of the bone and cartilage) are at higher risk for developing osteosarcomas.

Previous medical procedures and treatments:

Exposure to radioactive materials: Radium and strontium are two radioactive materials which increase the risk for bone cancer because during the exposure, these minerals can build up in the bones and lead to cancerous cells to develop.

Page Covers: What are the causes & risk factors for bone cancer? How do you get bone cancer?

Conditions & Diseases: Cancer

Bone Cancer

Causes and Risk Factors for Bone Cancer