Alternative Names
Ewing’s family of tumors; Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET)
Definition of Ewing’s sarcoma
Ewing’s sarcoma is a malignant (cancerous) that affects children.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Ewing’s sarcoma can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, but usually develops during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly. It is 10 times as common in Caucasian children as in African-American, African, and Asian children.
Symptoms
There are few symptoms. The most common is pain and occasionally swelling at the site of the tumor.
Signs and tests
If a tumor is suspected, tests to locate the primary tumor and any spread (metastasis) often include:
Treatment
Treatment should be done by a cancer specialist (oncologist) and often includes a combination of:
Expectations (prognosis)
The prognosis depends on the location of the tumor, and whether or not the cancer has spread. The best chance for cure is with a combination of treatments that includes chemotherapy plus radiation or surgery, provided at an institution that frequently treats this type of cancer.
Review
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. – 3/2/2010
