Ewing's sarcoma is a highly malignant tumor of bone, usually in the diaphyses of long bones, pelvis and ribs of children and adolescents.
Presentation
Localized pain is the most frequent symptom. Systemic symptoms like fever, weight loss, or anemia may occur. Fever is related to cytokines produced by the tumor cells. Other symptoms depend on the organs closest to the tumor.
Disorders caused by nerve compression or mechanical disorders are associated with pelvic tumors. Respiratory disorders or pleural effusion are associated with costal tumors. Radicular compression is associated with vertebral tumors.
The tumor initially develops most frequently in bone, particularly in the pelvis (30%), thorax (20%), femur (16%), tibia (9%), vertebrae (8%) and humerus (5%). The disease has a high potential for metastases.
Immune System
- Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy
Chest CT showed no signs of lungs metastasis or mediastinal lymphadenopathy. [numonthly.com]
Entire Body System
- Pain
Classic symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath in tumors that originate in the ribs, and back pain and “sciatic–like” symptoms in patients with tumors in the pelvis. News About Ewing Sarcoma [curesearch.org]
Targeted interventions include strengthening the R hip musculature, improving R hip ROM in all planes, manual therapy to decrease pain and improve function, and modalities for pain relief. [physio-pedia.com]
Most common symptoms reported: Localised pain: bone pain; may come and go and vary in its intensity. [web.archive.org]
Patellar tumors occur infrequently and represent an uncommon etiology of anterior knee pain. We describe the rare case of a 41-year-old man who presented with a 3-4 month history of escalating right anterior knee pain and swelling. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Swelling
Although the initial swelling subsided, the patient noticed a small 'lump', superior to the eyelid which persisted after the rest of the swelling disappeared. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Signs and Symptoms of Ewing Sarcoma The symptoms of depend on the bone or soft tissue site in which the cancer develops, but they usually include: Pain at the site of the mass, often with swelling Patients may have general symptoms such as loss of appetite [curesearch.org]
When to Call a Professional Call your doctor if you or your child develops persistent or unexplained pain and swelling in a bone, with or without a fever. [drugs.com]
- Fever
[…] and Symptoms of Ewing Sarcoma The symptoms of depend on the bone or soft tissue site in which the cancer develops, but they usually include: Pain at the site of the mass, often with swelling Patients may have general symptoms such as loss of appetite, fever [curesearch.org]
Systemic symptoms like fever, weight loss, or anemia may occur. Fever is related to cytokines produced by the tumor cells. Other symptoms depend on the organs closest to the tumor. [symptoma.com]
Fever may be used judiciously in the differential diagnosis. [scielo.br]
- Weight Loss
fever, malaise, fatigue, and weight loss Other symptoms are related to the specific location of the tumor. [curesearch.org]
Signs and symptoms, such as pain and swelling or unexplained fever and weight loss, should be checked out by a doctor immediately. In the United States, 250 children and adolescents are diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma each year. [everydayhealth.com]
There are other signs Ewing’s sarcoma can develop such as: Fever Fatigue Weakness Weight Loss Lump, swelling or tenderness at the tumor site Numbness or paralysis of arms and legs if tumor is near the spine Being alert for suspicious symptoms and any [sarcomaoncology.com]
- Fatigue
Ewing Sarcoma The symptoms of depend on the bone or soft tissue site in which the cancer develops, but they usually include: Pain at the site of the mass, often with swelling Patients may have general symptoms such as loss of appetite, fever, malaise, fatigue [curesearch.org]
The patient may also experience extreme fatigue, weight loss, and loss of appetite with a tumor. Antibiotics will not affect Ewing's Sarcoma, but should help with osteomyelitis. [physio-pedia.com]
A 40-year-old male was admitted with complaints of nonproductive cough, exertional dyspnea, and fatigue since 4 months with a history of abdominal wall swelling which was excised and proven to be Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
After treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma Having and being treated for Ewing’s sarcoma can cause fatigue. You will also need to have regular checkups after treatment is finished. Fatigue During your treatment you may start to feel tired and listless. [royalmarsden.nhs.uk]
Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal Pain
A 17-year-old Japanese woman presented with left upper abdominal pain and high fever. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 15 × 10 cm tumor replacing the adrenal gland. Preoperative diagnosis was an adrenocortical carcinoma. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Skin
- Night Sweats
In this case, the pt. demonstrated constitutional signs and symptoms including night sweats, weakness, fatigue, intermittent fever and increased pain at night which could indicate a systemic problem. [physio-pedia.com]
Renal PNET can present in various forms with symptoms such as malaise, nephric colic, flank pain, testicular pain, dysuria, dyspnea, dizziness, and clinical signs such as an increase in abdominal circumference, weight loss, a palpable mass, night sweats [numonthly.com]
Musculoskeletal
- Bone Pain
Clinical presentation is usually dominated by local bone pain and a mass. Imaging reveals a technetium pyrophosphate avid lesion that, on plain radiograph, is destructive, diaphyseal and classically causes layered periosteal calcification. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Most common symptoms reported: Localised pain: bone pain; may come and go and vary in its intensity. [web.archive.org]
- Knee Pain
Patellar tumors occur infrequently and represent an uncommon etiology of anterior knee pain. We describe the rare case of a 41-year-old man who presented with a 3-4 month history of escalating right anterior knee pain and swelling. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
pain for the past several months. [orthobullets.com]
- Myalgia
[…] or pelvic sites. [10] Age younger than 15 years also seems to be a more favorable prognosis. [10, 11] Treatment complications Complications of chemotherapy can include the following: Vincristine - Primarily causes neuropathy, including constipation, myalgias [emedicine.com]
- Bone Disorder
Sarcoma Risk Factors We don't yet know what causes sarcoma, but we do know some things that raise the risk of developing one: Other people in your family have had sarcoma You have a bone disorder called Paget's disease You have a genetic disorder such [webmd.com]
Neurologic
- Confusion
It is confused with renal cell cancer in imaging techniques. The definitive diagnosis is based on the histopathological examination. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Agitation
Three aliquots (2 mL) of spheroid slurry were collected while gently agitating the spheroid suspension to ensure even sampling. [doi.org]
Workup
No specific blood tests are used in the diagnosis of Ewings sarcoma. However, the following tests and procedures may be used to diagnose or stage the malignancy: physical exam, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), laboratory tests (blood cultures, C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and complete blood count). A biopsy may be done to definitively diagnose Ewings sarcoma. [3]
There is no standard staging system. Ewing sarcoma is described based on whether the cancer is localized or metastatic.
Laboratory
- Leukocytosis
It occurs most frequently in adolescent boys and is characterized by pain, swelling, fever, and leukocytosis. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
[…] pelvis, chest wall and extremities Most common bone locations are pelvis, distal femur, proximal tibia, femoral diaphysis and proximal humerus ~50% are found in the diaphysis of long bones Clinical features May present with pain, fever, weight loss, leukocytosis [pathologyoutlines.com]
Signs and symptoms of Extraosseous Ewing’s Sarcoma may include: Fever, which may be observed frequently, may indicate an infection Anemia (low red cell count in blood); leukocytosis (above normal levels of white blood cells) Increased blood erythrocyte [dovemed.com]
Age: younger is favorable Size: >8cm is unfavorable Labs: anemia, elevated ESR, leukocytosis, and elevated LDH associated with worse prognosis Not prognostic: sex and time from onset of symptoms Treatment Overview [ edit ] Ewing's sarcoma is essentially [en.wikibooks.org]
Initial laboratory testing was unremarkable with the exception of a mild leukocytosis and 2 + blood on urine dipstick. [scholars.direct]
Treatment
Treatment starts systematically with chemotherapy with alternating courses of 2 regimens: vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide; and ifosfamide and etoposide. Chemotherapy is administered to reduce the size of the primary tumor and to eradicate or prevent metastases [4].
For more severe forms of the disease (limited response to initial chemotherapy or metastases already have been diagnosed), high dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation is suggested as a last resort treatment.
Only patients who have a good initial response to standard chemotherapy are considered for stem cell transplantation. Surgery and radiotherapy are recommended whenever the location of the tumor allows. Local radiotherapy sometimes is necessary, with surgery or alone for inoperable tumors [5] [6].
Prognosis
The main prognostic factors of Ewing’s sarcoma are: age, general health of the patient, location and size of the tumor, the stage of the disease, surgical outcome and response to treatment.
The survival of patients with Ewings sarcoma depends highly on the initial manifestation of the disease.
Approximately 80% of patients present with localized disease, whereas 20% present with clinically detectable metastatic disease, most often to the lungs, bone, or bone marrow. Less common sites include the central nervous system and lymph nodes.
Five-year survival for localized Ewings sarcoma is 70% to 80% when treated with chemotherapy [7].
Etiology
Most cases of Ewings sarcoma occur due to a translocation between chromosomes 11 and 22. This translocation joins the Ewing’s sarcoma gene (EWS) on chromosome 22 to a gene of the ETS family, friend leukemia insertion (FLI1), on chromosome 11.
Epidemiology
Ewings sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer in children, but it's also relatively rare uncommon. It accounts for only 1% of all childhood cancers. The incidence is 0.6 per million with a rate of 0.3 cases per million in children under 3 years of age, and as high as 4.6 cases per million in adolescents aged 15–19 years. The incidence of these tumors in males is higher than in females. It very rarely occurs in adults over the age of 30.
Pathophysiology
Classic Ewings sarcoma is a poorly differentiated, homogeneous population of small round-cells with high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, characterized by strong expression of glycoprotein MIC2 and CD99.
Prevention
There are no guidelines for prevention of Ewings sarcoma.
Summary
Ewings sarcoma is a malignant small round cell bone tumor with strong metastatic potential. It is a primary bone cancer that affects mainly children and adolescents. The most common areas in which it occurs are the pelvis, the femur, the humerus, the ribs and clavicle. Ewings sarcoma also may be found in the soft tissues of the trunk, arms, legs, abdominal cavity, head and neck.
Other names for Ewings sarcoma include primitive neuroectodermal tumor, Askin tumor, extraosseous Ewing sarcoma and peripheral neuroepithelioma. All these types are called Ewing sarcoma family of tumors [1] [2].
Patient Information
Ewings sarcoma is a type of tumor that forms from a certain kind of cell in bone or soft tissue. It may be found in the bones of the skull, arms, hands , legs, feet, chest, pelvis, and spine. Ewings sarcoma also may be found in the soft tissue of various areas. They most commonly occur in teenagers and young adults.
Signs and symptoms
- Swelling
- Painful lump
- Fever for no known reason
- Bone fracture for no known reason
Examinations
The following tests may be used to diagnose the disorder: physical exam, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, X-ray, laboratory studies (complete blood count, blood chemistry studies).
Staging is the process that used to find out if cancer has spread in the body. The disease is grouped to localized or metastatic. Localized Ewings sarcoma refers to a tumor which is found where it began. Metastatic Ewings sarcoma means that the cancer has spread from the bone or soft tissue in which it began to other parts of the body.
Treatment
Three types of standard treatment are used: Chemotherapy is part of the treatment for all patients with Ewings tumors. Chemotherapy may also be given to shrink the tumor prior to surgery or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is used when the tumor cannot be removed surgically. It is also used to make the tumor smaller, and decrease the amount of tissue that required to be removed during surgery. Surgery is usually done to remove cancer that is left after chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
References
- Iwamoto Y., Diagnosis and treatment of Ewing's sarcoma, Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. 37 (2) 2007: 79–89.
- Bernstein M, Kovar H, Paulussen M, Randall RL, Schuck A, Teot LA, Juergens H. Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors: current management. Oncologist. 2006; 11(5): 503-19.
- Paulussen M, Craft AW. Ewing Tumours: Management and Prognosis in, Education Book, International Society of Paediatric Oncology, 37th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - September 20-24, 2005.
- Dai X, Ma W, He X, Jha RK., Review of therapeutic strategies for osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing’s sarcoma. MED Sci Monit. 2011; 17 (8): RA177–RA190.
- Spira A. and Ettinger D., The Use of Chemotherapy in Soft-Tissue Sarcomas. The Oncologist. 2002 vol. 7 no. 4 348-359.
- Grier HE, Krailo MD, Tarbell NJ, et al. Addition of ifosfamide and etoposide to standard chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor of bone. N Engl J Med. Feb 20 2003;348(8):694-701.
- Lahl M, Fisher VL, Laschinger K. Ewing sarcoma family of tumours: an overview from diagnosis to survivorship, Clin J Oncol Nurs 12 2008 (1): 89–97.