Local Doc Warns Women Affected By Breast Cancer To Watch For Bone Pain

JUNIATA (CBS) - Women who have or had breast cancer should know that leg pain should not be taken lightly.

Several cancers are prone to spread to the bone. The most common is breast cancer and with women living with the disease longer, more women are affected.

Dr. Richard Schmidt, Medical Director of Orthopedic Oncology for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, says patients need to be proactive.

"I personally recommend that women with breast cancer, that every one of them get a bone scan because if you have a spot on your bone, typically it will light up on the bone scan and it would be good to know about that," Dr. Schmidt said. "If they develop pain, particularly in a weight-bearing bone, don't blow it off, and don't let your doctor blow it off. Insist or demand an x-ray."

He says one of the most common sites for spread is the thigh bone. He wants women to know that if the cancer does spread, it is possible to insert a steel rod into the bone for strength and to help prevent a break.

Reported by Lynne Adkins, KYW Newsradio 1060