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Does cancer in the bone spread quickly?

High-grade bone cancer looks very abnormal compared with healthy tissue and tends to grow and spread more quickly. High-grade tumors may also be described as poorly differentiated. The bone cancer grade may help your care team determine how quickly the cancer is likely to spread and how best to treat it.

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The staging guidelines developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) are often used to stage bone cancers, and they allow doctors to communicate important information with each other in a standardized way.

Bone cancer stages are based on four categories:

T (tumor) describes the size of the original tumor.

N (node) indicates whether cancer is present in the lymph nodes.

M (metastasis) refers to whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body. G (grade) describes the appearance of cancerous tissue and how much it resembles healthy tissue when studied under a microscope. Bone cancers that contain many different cell types (like healthy tissue does) are considered low grade and generally are slow to grow and spread. Low-grade tumors may also be described as well differentiated. High-grade bone cancer looks very abnormal compared with healthy tissue and tends to grow and spread more quickly. High-grade tumors may also be described as poorly differentiated. The bone cancer grade may help your care team determine how quickly the cancer is likely to spread and how best to treat it. The grade influences your prognosis and the likelihood that the cancer will respond well to treatment. Low-grade tumors tend to have a better outlook, while high-grade tumors may be more difficult to treat.

What are the grades for bone cancer

There are four grades designated for bone cancer.

Grade GX: The grade can’t be determined.

Grade 1 (G1): Bone cancer closely resembles healthy tissue. This is considered a low-grade tumor. Grade 2 (G2): Bone cancer somewhat resembles healthy tissue. This is considered a high-grade tumor. Grade 3 (G3): Bone cancer looks very different from healthy tissue. This is considered a high-grade tumor. After the grade and TNM score are assigned, these measures are combined to determine the cancer’s overall stage.

What are the stages of bone cancer?

Tumors are generally measured in centimeters. Eight centimeters is about 3 inches.

Stage 1 bone cancer

The cancer cells are still localized to the bone, and the tumor is considered low-grade. Stage 1 bone cancer is divided into two subcategories. Stage 1A: The tumor measures about 8 cm or smaller. The grade may be G1 (low grade) or GX (the grade can’t be determined). Stage 1B: The cancer is larger than 8 cm or can be found in several places in the same bone. The tumor’s grade may be G1 (low grade) or GX (the grade can’t be determined).

Stage 2 bone cancer

These cancers are still localized to the bone, but they’re considered high grade. Stage 2 bone cancer is divided into two subcategories: Stage 2A: The tumor is 8 cm or smaller and high grade (G2 or G3). Stage 2B: The tumor is larger than 8 cm and high grade (G2 or G3).

Stage 3 bone cancer

Primary bone cancers at this stage are still localized to the bone, but they are high grade and have spread to several places within the same bone. These are multiple G2 or G3 high-grade tumors.

Stage 4 bone cancer

This is the most advanced form of the disease. In stage 4, the cancer has spread beyond the bone to other areas of the body. For bone cancer, staging also takes into account how abnormal the cells look under the microscope (the grade). Stage 4 bone cancer can be any T or N, meaning the tumor may be any size and may have grown into the lymph nodes. The cancer may be categorized as stage 4A or 4B.

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The end of life may be months, weeks, days, or hours. It is a time when many decisions about treatment and care are made for patients with cancer. It is important for families and healthcare providers to know the patient's wishes ahead of time and to talk with the patient openly about end-of-life plans. This will help make it easier for family members to make major decisions for the patient at the end of life. When treatment choices and plans are discussed before the end of life, it can lower the stress on both the patient and the family. It is most helpful if end-of life planning and decision-making begin soon after the cancer is diagnosed and continue during the course of the disease. Having these decisions in writing can make the patient's wishes clear to both the family and the healthcare team. When a child is terminally ill, end-of-life discussions with the child's doctor may reduce the time the child spends in the hospital and help the parents feel more prepared. This summary is about end of life in adults with cancer and where noted, children with cancer. It discusses care during the last days and last hours of life, including treatment of common symptoms and ethical questions that may come up. It may help patients and their families prepare for decisions that they need to make during this time. For more information on end-of-life planning, including palliative and hospice care, see Planning the Transition to End-of-Life Care in Advanced Cancer.

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