Pain in YOUR bones? Don’t mistake cancer symptoms for common arthritis or gout

ARTHRITIS is a condition which causes pain and inflammation in a joint. Osteoarthritis is the most common form in the UK, but the symptoms could be mistaken for potentially deadly illness.

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Cancer: Symptoms of bone cancer could be mistaken for arthritis

Bone cancer is a rare type of cancer - it affects just over 500 people every year.
Most cases of bone cancer develop in the long bones of the legs or upper arms.
The most common symptoms of the disease is a persistent pain which gets worse over time, and like arthritis can get worse at night.

NHS Choices said: “The pain can sometimes be wrongly mistaken for arthritis in adults and growing pains in children and teenagers.”

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Bone cancer: Most cases of bone cancer develop in the long bones of the legs or upper arms

We know that too often people ignore pain or swelling in their joints.

Alan Silman

Other symptoms of bone cancer can include swelling and redness over a bone which can make movement challenging.
This could also be mistaken for gout, an uncomfortable, inflammatory condition that occurs when needle-like crystals of uric acid form within certain joints or soft tissues.
Gout - which is a form of arthritis - can be associated with a rich diet which can be altered to avoid the condition.
Other symptoms of bones cancer include a lump over a bone, or a weak bone which fracture more easily than normal.

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Bone cancer: People ignore pain or swelling in their joints