Most do not need to be removed. However, your healthcare provider might recommend removal of a particular osteochondroma if: It causes pain or functional problems by putting pressure on nearby tissues, blood vessels or nerves. It inhibits normal bone growth.

Should I worry about osteochondroma?

Should I be Worried? It is rare for osteochondromas to require extensive treatment and surgery and even more rare for the benign bone tumors to become cancerous. Your child’s orthopedic specialist will walk you through the next steps and work with you and your child to monitor the tumor’s growth.

Is surgery needed for osteochondroma?

Most of the time, an osteochondroma does not require surgery. If the tumor causes pain, it can be removed by surgery.

Can you remove osteochondroma?

To completely remove an osteochondroma, your doctor will perform a surgical procedure called excision. In this procedure, the tumor will be removed at the level of the normal bone. How long it takes to return to daily activities will vary depending on the tumor’s size and location.

How long can you live with osteochondroma?

Osteochondromas are benign lesions and do not affect life expectancy. The risk of malignant transformation is 1–5%. The prognosis for secondary peripheral chondrosarcoma is depending on histological grade: 10 year survival rates are 83% for grade I chondrosarcomas compared to 29% for grade III chondrosarcomas [86].

Can you live with osteochondroma?

Osteochondromas are benign lesions that do not affect life expectancy. However, the risk of malignant transformation (to secondary chondrosarcoma) should be taken onto consideration, especially in cases of multiple exostoses.

How long does osteochondroma surgery take?

The operation is straight forward taking between 30 minutes to an hour to do. General risks include: infection. wound splitting and a widened scar.

How does osteochondroma affect the body?

Osteochondroma is an overgrowth of cartilage and bone that happens at the end of the bone near the growth plate. Most often, it affects the long bones in the leg, the pelvis, or the shoulder blade. Osteochondroma is the most common noncancerous bone growth.

Is osteochondroma life threatening?

Usually this condition by itself is not life-threatening. But bone sarcomas (mostly osteosarcomas) develop in about 1% of people with Paget disease, usually when many bones are affected. Hereditary multiple osteochondromas: Osteochondromas are benign tumors formed of bone and cartilage.

Are all osteochondromas benign?

Osteochondroma is the most common type of non-cancerous (benign) bone tumor. An osteochondroma is a hard mass of cartilage and bone that generally appears near the growth plate (a layer of cartilage at the ends of a child’s long bones). The majority of children with an osteochondroma only have a single tumor.

Article first time published on

Can an osteochondroma become cancerous?

Although it is rare for an osteochondroma to change into a cancerous tumor, it is possible. In adults, a thick covering of cartilage over the tumor is one sign of such a change. A tumor in an adult patient should be checked for cancer if it is enlarging or has become painful.

Is osteochondroma rare?

Signs & Symptoms Hereditary multiple osteochondromas is a rare disorder that affects bone growth.

Can an osteochondroma grow back?

It is possible that a benign growth or tumor can later become cancerous. It is also possible that a tumor that has been removed will grow back. Osteochondroma is the most common form of benign tumor growth in bones.

How common is osteochondroma?

Osteochondroma incidence is reported as 35% of benign and 8% of all bone tumors, though this is considered an underestimate as most are asymptomatic. Most cases are diagnosed within the first three decades of life, commonly in children or adolescents between 10 and 15 years of age.

What does osteochondroma look like?

An osteochondroma looks like a bony projection on the external surface of a bone, like a bony mushroom on a stalk, usually near a growth plate area. It can occur in any bone but is seen most often around the knee or upper arm. This tumor generally grows with the child and stops growing once the child completes puberty.

Is exostosis same as osteochondroma?

Exostosis, also called osteoma, is a benign growth of new bone on top of existing bone. It can occur in many parts of the body. When the exostosis is covered with cartilage, it’s called an osteochondroma. Exostosis can be painless, or it can cause severe pain and require surgical removal.

Is Osteoblastoma benign?

Osteoblastoma is a rare benign bone tumor that accounts for about 1 percent of all primary bone tumors in the United States. It affects twice as many boys as girls. Similar to most primary benign bone tumors, osteoblastoma tends to form in the extremities, however it also often forms in the spine.

How can you prevent osteochondroma?

There is no way to prevent osteochondroma since the cause is unknown.

Does osteochondroma stunt growth?

They found that the local presence of osteochondromas was associated with growth disturbance, and there was an inverse correlation between osteochondroma size and relative bone length. Their conclusion was that growth retardation might result from a local effect [10].

What is the percentage of malignant transformation of osteochondroma?

Malignant transformation is seen in 1% of solitary osteochondromas and in 3%–5% of patients with HME. Continued lesion growth and a hyaline cartilage cap greater than 1.5 cm in thickness, after skeletal maturity, suggest malignant transformation.

What is subungual osteochondroma?

Subungual osteochondroma is a rare, benign bony tumor that usually involves the phalanges of the toes or fingers, most commonly the distal phalanx of hallux. 1. It was first described by Dupuytren in 1817, as a bony outgrowth of the distal phalanx of the great toe that is now popularly known as “Dupuytren’s exostosis”.

What causes extra bone growth?

The excess bone can form spontaneously, but it is also spurred by an injury or trauma. An event as mild as a vaccination can cause a lesion to develop. Surgery to remove lesions is impossible because the procedure only triggers more excess bone formation and growth.

What is the life expectancy of someone with osteosarcoma?

SEER stage5-year relative survival rateLocalized74%Regional66%Distant27%All SEER stages combined60%

Does osteosarcoma run in families?

The cause of osteosarcoma is not known. In some cases, it runs in families, and at least one gene has been linked to increased risk. Treatment varies from person to person and may include surgery, chemotherapy , radiation therapy , and samarium.

What is the prognosis of osteosarcoma?

What are the survival rates for osteosarcoma? If the disease is localized (has not spread to other areas of the body), the long-term survival rate is 70 to 75%. If osteosarcoma has already spread to the lungs or other bones at diagnosis, the long-term survival rate is about 30%.

What does osteochondroma mean in medicine?

(OS-tee-oh-kon-DROH-muh) A benign (not cancer) tumor that has both bone and cartilage in it. This type of tumor usually occurs at the ends of the long bones of the arms and legs or in the pelvis or shoulder.

What is chondrosarcoma?

Chondrosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that develops in cartilage cells. Cartilage is the specialized, gristly connective tissue that is present in adults and the tissue from which most bones develop. Cartilage plays an important role in the growth process.

What does osteochondritis mean?

Overview. Osteochondritis dissecans (os-tee-o-kon-DRY-tis DIS-uh-kanz) is a joint condition in which bone underneath the cartilage of a joint dies due to lack of blood flow. This bone and cartilage can then break loose, causing pain and possibly hindering joint motion.

Can you have multiple Osteochondromas?

Hereditary multiple osteochondromas is a condition in which people develop multiple benign (noncancerous) bone tumors called osteochondromas. The number of osteochondromas and the bones on which they are located vary greatly among affected individuals.

How is osteochondroma diagnosed?

X-ray: In almost all cases, an osteochondroma can be diagnosed using an x-ray. An x-ray uses a small amount of radiation to produce pictures of a child’s bones and organs. This helps to determine where the growth is located.

Which is the most common benign tumor of bone?

Osteochondromas are the most common, accounting for 30% to 35% of benign bone tumors. Giant cell tumors account for 20%, osteoblastomas for 14%, and osteoid osteomas for 12%. All others are less common. Diagnosis mainly is via imaging; biopsy rarely is required.