You've stumbled across our website, looked through some pictures, and gotten to know our warriors, but now you're wondering... what exactly is Ewing Sarcoma? Keep reading to learn more about this rare cancer and to find out how you can help!
What is Ewing Sarcoma?
Simply put, Ewing Sarcoma is a rare bone cancer most often found in children between the ages of 10-20. It affects approximately 200 children and young adults every year.
The tumor begins in a bone or the tissue around a bone. It usually forms in long, large bones of the body, such as the legs, arms, ribs, or spine. From there, it can spread, or metastasize, into the bone marrow, soft tissue, and lungs. Once Ewing Sarcoma metastasizes, it becomes much harder to treat, which makes finding it early that much more important.
Symptoms of Ewing Sarcoma
Swelling/bruising around the bone
Bone pain
Difficulty breathing or walking, depending on the location of the tumor
A low fever
Fatigue
Weight Loss
Talk to your doctor if you or a loved one are experiencing persistent symptoms that concern you.
Treatments for Ewing Sarcoma
Chemotherapy
Currently, chemotherapy is the first plan of attack for Ewing Sarcoma.
Chemotherapy, often called "chemo," is a powerful drug that attacks and kills cancer cells. It can be administered through an IV or in pill form. The first goal of chemo is to kill the cancer cells. If the chemo isn't killing the cells, doctors focus on shrinking the cancer cells and stopping them from spreading to other places in the body. Chemo can also be used to help manage pain and improve quality of life if the cancer reaches an advanced stage that likely can't be cured.
Doctors often use a treatment called "combination therapy," which uses multiple kinds of chemo at one time. Some common chemo medicines used to treat Ewing Sarcoma are:
Cyclophosphamide
Doxorubicin
Etoposide
Ifosfamide
Vincristine
Surgery
After chemo reduces the size of the tumor, doctors usually perform a surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. In some cases, doctors may need to amputate a limb, while in other cases, only a small portion of the bone will be removed.
Radiation
Following surgery, additional chemo and possibly radiation therapy are used to target any remaining cancer cells.
Survival Rates for Ewing Sarcoma
The survival rate for localized Ewing Sarcoma is 70%.
For patients whose tumors have metastasized, or spread, the survival rate drops to 15-30%.
In 30% of patients, Ewing Sarcoma will return within 5 years.
How You Can Help
Now that you know what Ewing Sarcoma is, you're probably wondering what you can do to help. Here are 3 ways to support those battling Ewing Sarcoma.
Donate! If you have the resources to do so, please consider donating to CoreyStrong. Your donations go directly to those fighting Ewing Sarcoma and the families of those whose battles have ended. Your contributions help pay medical bills, travel costs, and funeral expenses.
Attend one of our CoreyStrong Events! Join us at our upcoming Golf Tournament and keep an eye out for more events coming soon!
Pray! If you're not able to donate or attend events, spend some time in prayer. Pray for our warriors and their families. Pray for a cure to be found.
Learn More About Ewing Sarcoma:
Check out the following resources to learn more about Ewing Sarcoma.