Saturday, February 06, 2010

On the Stage 4 Costochondroma

Osteosarcoma is the second most common primary malignancy of bone behind multiple myeloma. Osteosarcoma accounts for 20% of primary bone malignancies. There is a preference for the metaphyseal region of tubular long bones. 50% of cases occur around the knee. It is a malignant connective (soft) tissue tumor whose neoplastic cells present osteoblastic differentiation and form tumoral bone.

File:TerryFoxToronto19800712.JPG
Terry Fox (1958–1981), the one who runs across Canada to raise money for cancer research

Who'd have know? A 21 year old young adult being diagnosed to have stage 4 osteosarcoma with metastasis to the lungs.

He came from a well-educated family, with siblings holding good jobs in prestigious company and parents raising them well, he himself would be able to be addressed as a doctor. But sadly, he had to quit and face the challenge.

By the time he went to the doctor, the lump was big enough to invade into the lungs and compresses on the nerves causing the entire arms to be numbed. And they said it's too late for them to remove the tumor. All they could do now, was to give him chemotherapy, in the hope that the tumor would become smaller in size, allowing them to cut it off.

Who'd have expected...

Life's pretty unpredictable.

2 Jujus:

Anonymous said...

ohh... thats so sad, wish him all the best.

CH Voon said...

He is so brave!

Thank you for this great sharing.