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A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting
a disease such as cancer. Lifestyle-related risks are the most
significant factors contributing to cancers in adults. Examples include
the effects of unhealthy diet (high-fat, low-fiber, etc.), not enough
exercise, and habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
Lifestyle-related risk factors have little or no significance in
childhood cancer.
Age and height
The risk of osteosarcoma is highest during the teenage "growth
spurt." Children with osteosarcoma are usually tall for their age. This
suggests a relationship between rapid bone growth and risk of tumor
formation.
Radiation to bones
People who were treated with radiation for another cancer have
a higher risk of later developing post-radiation (after radiation)
osteosarcoma. Being treated at a younger age and being treated with
higher doses of radiation (doses of more than 60 gray, or Gy,
– typically about 30 treatments) both increase the risk of
developing osteosarcoma. There is little if any danger of developing
osteosarcoma from having diagnostic x-rays.
Certain bone diseases
Children and adolescents with certain non-cancerous bone
diseases have an increased risk of developing osteosarcoma later,
usually as an adult. Some of these diseases include Paget disease of bone
and multiple hereditary
osteochondromas.
Paget disease
is a benign but precancerous condition that affects one or more bones.
It mostly affects people older than 50. Paget disease causes abnormal
bone tissue to form. Affected bones are heavy and thick but are weaker
than normal bones and are more likely to break. Usually this condition
by itself is not life-threatening. But bone sarcomas (mostly
osteosarcoma) develop in about 5% to 10% of people with severe cases of
Paget disease, usually when many bones are affected.
Osteochondromas are benign bone tumors formed by bone and
cartilage. Each osteochondroma has a very slight risk of developing
into an osteosarcoma. Most osteochondromas are cured by surgery.
However, some people inherit a tendency to develop many
osteochondromas, and it may not be possible to remove them all. The
more osteochondromas a person has, the greater the risk of developing
osteosarcoma.
Inherited cancer syndromes
Children with certain rare, inherited cancer syndromes have an
increased risk of developing osteosarcoma.
The Li-Fraumeni
syndrome makes people much more likely to develop several
types of cancer, including breast cancer, brain cancer, adrenal gland
cancer, osteosarcoma, and other types of cancer.
Retinoblastoma
is a rare eye cancer of children. About 40% of cases are due to an
inherited tendency to develop this cancer. Children with this inherited
form also have an increased risk for developing osteosarcoma. When
children with retinoblastoma are treated with radiation therapy, it
increases their risk of developing osteosarcoma in the bones of the
skull.
The way in which inherited DNA abnormalities make certain
children likely to develop osteosarcoma is explained in the section, "Do
we know what causes osteosarcoma?"
Last Medical Review: 01/14/2009 Last Revised: 01/14/2009
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