Bone Tumors

Types

Noncancerous bone tumors

Noncancerous (benign) bone tumors do not spread to other areas in the body. Many benign tumors do not require treatment. Others can be very aggressive locally and can destroy the bone quickly.

Benign bone tumors that require treatment include the following.

• Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). An ABC is a cyst that is usually filled with blood.
• Chondroblastoma. This tumor originates from cartilage and is often found around the knee.
• Chondromyxoid fibroma. This tumor grows in cartilage and most often occurs in children or young adults.
• Giant cell tumor. This rare but aggressive bone tumor is named for its huge cells, as seen under a microscope.
• Osteoblastoma. A bone-creating tumor, an osteoblastoma most often occurs in the spine and long bones of young adults.
• Osteoid osteoma. A small bone tumor, an osteoid osteoma has a center of growing cells surrounded by thickened bone.

Benign tumors that may or may not require treatment include the following.

• Fibrous dysplasia. This type of tumor forms from an overgrowth of bony or fibrous tissue.
• Metaphyseal fibrous defect. Also known as nonossifying fibroma, this tumor forms from an overgrowth of fibrous tissue.
• Osteochondroma. An osteochondroma can be one tumor on the growth plate or multiple tumors with varying locations.
• Unicameral (simple) bone cyst. This is a bone cavity filled with fluid.

Bone cancer

The treatment options for bone cancer are based on the type of cancer you have, the cancer's appearance under the microscope (grade) and whether or not the cancer has spread (stage). Examples of bone cancer include chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma. Bone cancer treatment typically involves surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of treatments.

Read more about bone cancer at MayoClinic.com.