What are the Symptoms of Bone Marrow Cancer

Bone marrow cancer usually develops in the large bone cavities which contain soft tissues. The red and white blood cells present in the marrow becomes malignant and cancerous. This type of cancer afflicts various symptoms, which may vary from person to person and require medical examination to diagnose the existence of cancerous cells, and threats it poses to other parts of the body.
 
General Symptoms

• Continued loss of appetite.
• Weight loss.
• Tiredness and fatigue, accompanied by nausea.
  

Specific Symptoms

Pain

The patient will experience intermittent episodes of pain at one or multiple bone sites. The pain becomes intense at night. In such a situation, the patient must see an orthopaedic as soon as possible.
 
Physical Observations
 

• Hard lumps felt under the skin.
• Inflammation of a body part.
• Stiff joints making it difficult to move around.

Other symptoms

• Reduced immunity.
• Anaemia.
• Minor injuries causing fractures.
  

Type of Bone Marrow Cancers:
 
Multiple Myeloma
 
Malignant growth of plasma cells leads to the development of this type of bone marrow cancer. The aforementioned general and specific symptoms are accompanied by gum and nose bleeds. The patient may appear pale and fragile due to anemia.

Leukemia
 
Leukemia is an overgrowth of white blood cells. The early signs of Leukemia include:

• swollen lymph nodes
• enlarged liver and spleen
• acute pain in the joints
• fever and fatigue
• haemorrhage may also occur
• Red rashes on the skin may also develop due to damaged capillaries.
  

Symptoms of different kinds of Leukemia

• Low platelets and white blood cell counts in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
• In Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, body fails to fight even benign infections. The patient feels tired and witness unexplained weight loss.
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is marked by swollen lymph nodes, fatigue and debility.
• Enlarged and painful spleen, fever and easy bleeding with minor cuts indicate the development of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.
  

Hodgkin Lymphoma
 
This bone marrow cancer affects the lymph tissue found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and other sites. Some of its prominent signs may include:

• painless yet enlarged spleen and liver
• body ache or specifically, back pain
• petechiae or red rashes may also form
• intermittent fever and chills
• Enlarged lymph nodes.

The diagnosis of these symptoms will detect the point of origin and treatment can be taken accordingly. It is advised that any patient need not wreak havoc based on the appearance of a single symptom as it can be the sign of any other condition. For example, an enlarged spleen could also be the result of a bacterial infection.