Ewing Family of Tumors

Ewing family of Tumors is a cluster of cancers affecting the bone and the soft tissue. This family of tumors is an assemblage of tumors that develop from a particular type of cell in the bone and the soft tissue. Ewing tumors are generally observed to occur amongst individuals in their teens and more prevalent in boys and the Caucasian community.

This family of tumors comprises of:

• Ewing tumor of the bone – This kind of tumor is detected in the bones of the legs, arms, chest, trunk, back or even the head region. There are three kinds of Ewing tumor of the bone namely:
  • Classic Ewing sarcoma – A form of cancer also known as peripheral neuroectodermal tumor and pPNET that develops in the bone or soft tissue.
  • Primitive neuroectodermal tumor or PNET – One of the clusters of cancers developing from analogous kinds of early cells, sharing particular biochemical and genetic attributes. Some of the primitive neuroectodermal tumors start developing in the brain and CNS or Central Nervous System known as CNS-PNET, and others developing in locations outside the perimeters of the brain like limbs, pelvic region and chest wall known as the peripheral PNET or also called PNET.
  • Askin tumor or PNET of the chest wall – This form of tumor affects the chest wall that comprises of the muscles, joints and bones that constitute the region lying between the neck and the abdomen.

• Extraosseous Ewing Sarcoma ( tumor proliferating in the tissue not involving the bone or found outside the bone). This form of soft tissue is observed in regions of the trunk, arms, legs, head and the neck.

Ewing Tumor Signs and Symptoms:

The following stated symptoms could be occurring due to Ewing family of tumors though there might be other conditions that might be eliciting similar symptoms. Medical assistance needs to be taken in case any of the following symptoms occur.

• A pain that may or may not be accompanied by swelling generally noted in the areas of the arms, legs, chest, back or the pelvic area that lies between the hips.
• A lump formation developing in the arms, legs, chest or the pelvic area that might give a warm sensation.
• Fever occurring due to no apparent and identified reason.
• An unexpected rupture or crack in the bone for no recognised reason.

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