Overview of Clinical Services for Bone Cancer
Bone is living tissue that makes up the body's skeleton. It provides shape and support for the body, as well as protection for some organs. Bone also serves as a storage site for minerals and provides the medium - marrow - for the development and storage of blood cells.
Cancer that starts in the bones is relatively uncommon, and is more likely to occur in children than adults. Cancers that start in other parts of the body can also metastasize to the bone. This metastatic bone cancer is the type of bone cancer that is most likely to occur in adults.
More information about bone cancer in children can be found at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, which has excellent programs and physicians.
A Team Approach
The Musculoskeletal Oncology Program at the Stanford Cancer Center brings together a comprehensive, highly specialized team of board-certified physicians dedicated to tailoring special individualized treatment plans for each individual’s cancer.
Backed by deep fundamental research and an extensive knowledge base in bone cancer, our multidisciplinary team of experienced specialists in radiology, interventional radiology, pathology, radiation oncology, medical and pediatric oncology, and surgical oncology from the departments of Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, and General and Pediatric Surgery.
With all your doctors working together, you can be assured that all possible treatment approaches have been considered and the one that is best for you is put into place.
Treatment Expertise
When you are being treated for cancer you want a physician who is familiar with your particular disease. Yet because many forms of bone cancer are rare it can be difficult to find a doctor who has treated patients with the disease. Our specialists at the Cancer Center not only treat bone cancer, but have expertise managing complex cases, place a high priority on limb and organ preservation, and offer the most advanced diagnostic technologies and treatments available today.
Particular strengths of individual departments or sections include:
Radiology
- Advanced imaging with 3-D reconstruction
- Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy
- Interventional radiology techniques
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning for accurate cancer staging
Radiation Oncology
- 3D Conformal radiation using advanced linear accelerators with advanced, more comfortable immobilization techniques.
- Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) that allows doctors to deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor site while a patient is still in the operating room during surgery. One-time IORT is more convenient than traditional radiotherapy and reduces the exposure of healthy tissues to radiation.
- Intensity modulated radiation (IMRT) that reduces the dose of radiation received by healthy tissue, and can allow doctors to deliver radiation to difficult-to-reach areas.
- Brachytherapy -- the placement of radioactive materials at the tumor site to deliver more targeted radiation therapy and make treatment more convenient.
Surgery
- Skilled management of complex cases with attention to limb and organ preservation
- Advanced, full service rehabilitation
- Heated limb perfusion Oncology
- Active adult and pediatric oncology programs
- Access to clinical trials through adult and pediatric cooperative group studies for both bone and soft tissue sarcomas (rhabdomyosarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue histologies).
- Novel therapies
Follow-up Care
Genetic Counseling
Many primary bone cancers are thought to have a genetic component, meaning they can run in families. If multiple people in your family have been diagnosed with bone cancer, or if you have been diagnosed with a form of bone cancer that tends to run in families, our expert team of genetic counselors can work with you to assess your genetic risk of developing cancer in the future.
Preserving Your Quality of Life
We also recognize that your treatment doesn’t end when you’ve won your battle with cancer. Cancer Center physicians work closely with specialists in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and prosthetics to help preserve and maintain your quality of life.
Contact information
You can choose to come to the Stanford Cancer Center at any point in your care. Please call (877) 668-7535 for assistance in scheduling a new patient appointment with the appropriate specialist.
If you are not a resident of the United States and would like more information on how to access services in the Stanford Cancer Center, or other programs at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, please contact International Medical Services by calling (877) 487-0237 or send email to
The mailing address is:
Stanford Cancer Center
875 Blake Wilbur Drive
Stanford, CA 94305
Trial Administration