Dr. Beauchamp discusses the risk factors associated with bone tumors.
Beauchamp:
That is all over the map. Some tumors we make a diagnosis of visually on a plain x-ray and it is of no consequence whatsoever to the patient. Bones are like skin. You can have warts, moles, freckles, and birthmarks in your bones, too. Everyone instantly thinks that bones are homogenous things and they have a single appearance, but there are many different abnormalities that appear on bone.
So, it can range from dismissing it to an abnormality that might be a little bit worrisome that we would want to monitor and watch, all the way to tumors that we investigate further with biopsy, and sometimes they require removal.
About Dr. Beauchamp, M.D.:
Dr. Christopher P. Beauchamp, M.D., is an orthopedic surgery and Associate Professor of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He focuses specifically on musculoskeletal oncology, adult reconstructive orthopedics, bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and infected, failed joint arthroplasty.
Visit Dr. Beauchamp at the Mayo Clinic