Bone cancer?

Recently I found out that my sister has bone cancer. First they found a brain tumor, and after running tests they also found out she has bone cancer. They are saying that the tumor is a malignant melanoma. My sister is only 29 and has dealt w/ hardships her entire life. Her mother (we only share the same dad) drank heavily while she was pregnant and when she was born she didn't recieve oxygen for too long which resulted in brain damage. She is not retarded but she has problems w/ motor skill and speech. I guess I'm just wondering what anyone can tell me about bone cancer, are there treatment options, and how long is someone w/ bone cancer expected to live? Thanks I'm not sure if I was right about the malignant melanoma wording or not but either way she has a brain tumor

Public Comments

1. Sorry to hear about your sister. Problems like yours put mine into proportion and shrink them into oblivion. I have no answers for you, but I hope things work out.
2. My heart goes out to you and your sister. Life isn't fair, is it? She shouldn't have to deal with this on top of everything else. If she has a brain tumor and it has spread to the bones, the prognosis usually isn't good. The only one who can really tell you is her oncologist. I'm assuming she's been seeing an oncologist, a cancer specialist. Hopefully, this doctor will be part of a cancer center with a number of doctors and lots of services. The oncologist will recommend a course of treatment, often including radiation and chemotherapy. The treatment is usually done over a period of a few months as an out patient. Your sis will have to go there and have chemo, probably. There are a number of side effects from chemo, but most can be dealt with. The cancer centers have it down and know what to expect. They should be able to keep her comfortable. The main thing is for someone to ask lots of questions. Keep asking until you understand what's going on. Call back for clarification if needed. Someone should go to her appointments with her. This is a traumatic experience and often the patient is too upset to take it all in. Also, it'll be a lot of information and it may be hard for just one person to remember it all. Your sister and her loved ones have a right to understand what's going on and what the plans are. She's going to need a lot of support. Enlist the help of anyone who is willing. As time goes on, you'll know what kind of help you need. It may be help with shopping, laundry, picking up medicine, rides to the doctor. When people ask what they can do, be ready with a real answer. Tell them that they could give her a ride to treatment, or some other chore. It'll make the load easier and it gives the person offering something concrete to do so that they can feel like they helped. This is good for all involved. It's impossible to know what caused the cancer, in most cases. No one should blame themselves. The American Cancer Society is a great help to patients and their families. The provide all kinds of help like getting people wigs or a ride to treatment, as well as educating people and providing support. Their web site is at www.cancer.org I hope this helped. I'm a retired nurse who worked in this area but also the relative of two cancer patients.
3. Hand the doctor a paper and pen and ask them to write the provisional diagnosis down for you, so that you are sure what you are dealing with. There are a couple of primary bone tumors that start in the head. They are difficult to diagnose and you should consider getting your sister referred to a major medical centre if you are not there already..
4. I know how you feel. My father just died from stage 4 bladder cancer that also regrettably hit his bones. YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME!!!. The first thing to do is to get her to a doctor for treatment suggestions, her doctor may say chemo (which is not all bad) and radition. The chemo of course never worked for my dad or neither did the radation but you are lucky you caught it early. hope this helps.
5. I'm really sorry to hear about your sister. my husband had a grade 4 brain tumor and very nearly died, but he has beaten all the odds and is now (nearly) back to his old self. I used to work on an oncology ward too and all too often i would meet wonderful people battling this disease and you do wonder why him/her? there is no guideline on how long she'll live, she could last days or surprise everyone and last years. it'll be a tough and testing time you're facing but try to make the most out of the time you have left together and look after yourself too. good luck.
6. I am 50+ and recently diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, bone cancer. I like MayoClinic.com (health information). Another good site is Caring4cancer.com. Your oncologist is the first line source for information. You should ask your sister's oncologist as you wll need to know if the bone cancer and brain tumor are related (brain tumor is primary or secondary to the bone cancer). Once you are sure of the diagnosis there are many cancer sites that will detail information for you. Your oncologist can refer you to some of these sites as well. Be strong, informed and supportive. Your sister can feel overwhelmed with information during this time and will need a strong shoulder to lean on. My prayer's are with you and your family.