Which condition is a malignant tumor of the bone?

Which condition is a malignant tumor of the bone?

• A. Osteogenesis imperfecta
• B. Osteoporosis
• C. Osteosarcoma
• D. Endocarditis

Answer: (C)

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that arises from bone-forming cells (osteoblasts). It’s the classic primary bone cancer, typically affecting adolescents and young adults and often involving the ends of long bones near the knee. Because it is malignant, it grows rapidly, can invade surrounding tissues, and commonly spreads to the lungs. Presentation usually includes persistent bone pain and swelling, sometimes with warmth around the area. X-ray findings can show a mixed lytic and sclerotic lesion with a sunburst periosteal reaction and a Codman triangle at the margin. Management relies on aggressive chemotherapy combined with surgical removal of the tumor, aiming to preserve the limb when possible. The other conditions listed are not cancers of bone: osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder causing brittle bones, osteoporosis is loss of bone density, and endocarditis is an infection of the heart valves.

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that arises from bone-forming cells (osteoblasts). It’s the classic primary bone cancer, typically affecting adolescents and young adults and often involving the ends of long bones near the knee. Because it is malignant, it grows rapidly, can invade surrounding tissues, and commonly spreads to the lungs. Presentation usually includes persistent bone pain and swelling, sometimes with warmth around the area. X-ray findings can show a mixed lytic and sclerotic lesion with a sunburst periosteal reaction and a Codman triangle at the margin. Management relies on aggressive chemotherapy combined with surgical removal of the tumor, aiming to preserve the limb when possible. The other conditions listed are not cancers of bone: osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder causing brittle bones, osteoporosis is loss of bone density, and endocarditis is an infection of the heart valves.