Ewing sarcoma
A Ewing sarcoma is a bone tumor. Ewing sarcomas usually develop in the bone marrow tissue of long bones and flat bones. Every year, approximately 10 children in the Netherlands are diagnosed with a Ewing sarcoma. The disease occurs at all ages, with a peak between the ages of 10 and 15, and more often in boys than in girls.
Causes
Little is known about what causes bone tumors. Something in the DNA was probably damaged during cell division. Sometimes a piece of one chromosome has swapped places with a piece from another chromosome. It is unclear what causes this error.
Symptoms
The main symptom of a bone tumor is pain in or around the bone. The pain can be vague, but it can also be so severe that your child cannot sleep. Swelling is also common. The tumor can spread to a muscle or joint, preventing your child from making certain movements. Sometimes the bone is so weakened by the tumor that it breaks.
How is Ewing sarcoma diagnosed?
A piece of tumor tissue is removed under anesthesia and then examined under the microscope. Bones and lungs are X-rayed and various scans are performed as well. Bone marrow is extracted under sedation.
Treatment
Children with a Ewing sarcoma are treated according to a protocol drawn up by national and international experts. Treatment consists of chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy.
Questions?
Children with a Ewing sarcoma are treated in the solid tumors department.