Ewing sarcoma is a group of rare cancerous tumors that typically affect teenagers but can also affect younger kids and young adults. Ewing sarcoma, also known as Ewing’s sarcoma and Ewing tumor, usually affects people’s bones, but can also develop in nearby soft tissues. Thanks to ongoing research and newer treatments, more people with Ewing sarcoma are living longer cancer-free.
What are symptoms of Ewing sarcoma?
Ewing sarcoma symptoms can resemble common bumps or lumps and bruises on people’s arms, legs and chest. Parents and caregivers may mistake Ewing sarcoma symptoms for kids’ sports injuries. The difference is Ewing sarcoma symptoms go away but then come back, or they get worse. Common symptoms include:
Bone pain that comes and goes and seems to get worse at night.
Swelling in the tissue around bones. People may complain about feeling stiff or noticing it hurts when they touch some areas on their bones or next to their bones.
Lumps near the skin’s surface that may feel warm and soft to the touch.
If your child has Ewing sarcoma, one of your first questions may be “Why is this happening?” While there’s no clear answer now, medical researchers know that a genetic mutation, or change, turns normal cells into Ewing sarcoma cells. These cells multiply and create cancerous tumors on people’s bones or soft tissues.
Researchers don’t know what triggers the mutation. But they do know the changes happen after birth. That means biological parents don’t pass the genetic mutation on to their biological children. Researchers also rule out exposure to carcinogens like tobacco, alcohol or chemicals that increase cancer risk.
What are Ewing sarcoma risk factors?
Risk factors are characteristics or activities that may increase the chance someone will develop a disease like cancer. Ewing sarcoma risk factors are things you can’t change or prevent:
Age: People can develop Ewing sarcoma at any age, but more than 50% of people are diagnosed between ages 10 and 20. The median age at diagnosis is 15.
Sex: Ewing sarcoma is more common in boys (AMAB) than in girls (AFAB).
Race/ethnicity: People who are white are more likely to develop Ewing sarcoma than people who are Black or Latino.
What are the complications of Ewing sarcoma?
Ewing sarcoma complications include:
Metastatic cancer: Ewing sarcoma that spreads from the original tumor to other areas of your body is more difficult to treat.
Recurrent cancer: Studies suggest recurrent Ewing sarcoma happens within the first two years after treatment, but it can come back as long as five years after treatment.
Late effects: Late effects are medical conditions or issues linked to treatment that develop years after people complete treatment.
How is Ewing sarcoma treated?
Chemotherapy is the most common initial treatment. Other treatments may include:
Surgery following radiation therapy to remove remaining cancer cells.
Your child’s provider may recommend you consider enrolling your child in a clinical trial. In clinical trials, medical researchers test new treatments or combinations of existing treatments to determine if the treatments are safe and effective.
Regardless of treatment, people with Ewing sarcoma may want to consider palliative care. Palliative care helps ease symptoms and treatment side effects. Palliative care providers also help people understand treatment options.
What are treatment complications?
Kids who have Ewing sarcoma often have late effects. Late effects are health issues that surface months and years after diagnosis or treatment. These health issues may include second cancers, which are new and different cancers that develop long after they’ve completed cancer treatment. Cancer treatment may cause issues with people’s:
Organs and tissues.
Growth and development.
Moods, feelings and mental health.
Ability to think, learn and remember information.
Ability to have children.
How is Ewing sarcoma diagnosed?
Healthcare providers will do a physical examination and ask questions about symptoms. They might also do the following tests:
Imaging tests
Imaging tests let providers take a closer look at your child’s bones and soft tissues and determine if there are tumors in other areas of their body. Imaging tests may include:
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