A&E doctor shares common early symptom of bone cancer

14 January 2024 , 21:37

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A doctor has revealed one of the commonly missed signs of bone cancer (Image: Getty Images)

An A&E doctor has warned about a common early sign of bone cancer that shouldn't be ignored.

Bone cancer already affects 550 new people every year in the UK, and can impact any bone, but most cases develop in the long bones of the legs or upper arms. Symptoms, however, can easily be mistaken for other health issues. Doctor Suraj Kukadia, who is also an NHS GP, took to TikTok addressing his 59,000 followers about the easily missed signs. He said: "I recently had a patient who was asking me about the symptoms of bone cancer."

"A persistent, deep and increasing pain in one of your bones is a common early symptom. The part of the bone with the cancer can also become swollen and tender," Dr Sooj added, as reported by The Express.

"And because the bones can be weakened by the cancer they are more prone to getting breaks and fractures. Some of the more generic signs would be tiredness, weakness, weight loss and even fevers."

An A&E doctor has warned about a common early sign of bone cancer (Getty Images)

Other symptoms include:

• persistent bone pain that gets worse over time and continues into the night
• swelling and redness (inflammation) over a bone, which can make movement difficult if the affected bone is near a joint
• a noticeable lump over a bone
• a weak bone that breaks (fractures) more easily than normal
• problems moving around – for example, walking with a limp

Young people can be affected because the rapid growth spurts that occur during puberty may make bone tumours develop. The above types of bone cancer affect different types of cell. Some of the main types of bone cancer are:

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• Osteosarcoma – the most common type, which mostly affects children and young adults under 20
• – which most commonly affects people aged between 10 and 20
• Chondrosarcoma – which tends to affect adults aged over 40

The treatment and outlook will depend on the type of bone cancer you have. See here for more information.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Fiona Callingham