TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Cam Brown battled an aggressive from of bone cancer, Osteosarcoma. This particular cancer is rare, but more than half who are diagnosed with it are younger than 20 years old.
Doctor Karen Russell, Cancer and Hematology Specialist at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, says doctors believe this age group is affected most because their bodies are growing and developing. The bone forming tumors associated with Osteosarcoma start at the growth plate of the long bones in your body, such as the femur bone. When this happens, the tissue looks like immature bone on x-rays.
Doctor Russell says a common red flag of Osteosarcoma is body or limb pain lasting longer than 2 weeks. Doctor Russell says, "I find that that group is probably the hardest to treat as an Oncologist, especially when you lose patients, because those guys and gals are right on the verge of so many amazing things happening in their life." She adds, it's common for the adolescent age group to not seek treatment early enough because they typically are not as concerned about body aches as adults.
