bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Metastatic Bone Tumors
Introduction
Cancers that begin elsewhere in the body may spread (metastasize) to the bones. In particular, cancers of the breast, lung, prostate gland, kidney, thyroid gland, and colon may metastasize to the bones. The main symptom is bone pain. An imaging test, such as x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography, may show the bone abnormality, or a sample of tissue may need to be removed and tested (biopsy). Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery may be done depending on the type of cancer that has spread. Metastatic bone tumors are cancers that have spread to the bones from their original (primary) site elsewhere in the body (see Development and Spread of Cancer ). Cancers most likely to spread to the bones include those that start in the following areas: Breast Cancer None Lung Cancer None Prostate Cancer None Kidney Cancer None Thyroid Cancer None Colorectal Cancer None Breast cancer is the most common cancer to spread to bone. However, any cancer may eventually spread to bone. Cancer may spread to any bone, although cancers do not commonly spread to bone below the mid forearm or mid calf. (See also Overview of Bone Tumors and 