What Are the Symptoms of Bone Cancer in the Hip?

Cory Martin
·7 min read

Medically reviewed by Doru Paul, MD

Hip cancer symptoms often include pain and can overlap with more likely causes like an injury, overuse, or a chronic condition like arthritis. But pain isn't always present, and other hip cancer symptoms include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and swollen lymph nodes. Numbness and tingling from nerve damage are common.

Primary bone cancer, or cancer that begins in the bone, accounts for less than 1% of all new cancers. Symptoms will depend on the exact type of bone cancer, or complications like hypercalcemia, a condition in which there is too much calcium in the blood.

This article explains bone cancer and hip cancer symptoms. It discusses the importance of seeing a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.

<p>Illustration by Laura Porter for Verywell Health</p>

Illustration by Laura Porter for Verywell Health

Pain

Twenty percent of bone cancer patients experience no symptoms of their condition. For everyone else, bone pain is often the first symptom to appear. Usually, the pain begins spontaneously and varies in severity, depending on the stage of the disease.

However, the intensity of the pain does not always correlate to the type and location of the tumor. Often, the bone pain gets worse with movement and can be accompanied by a fever.

Typically, the pain increases at night. At the beginning of the disease, most people experience dull aches that come and go. As time passes, the pain may become more severe and constant.



Types of Bone Cancer

Four main types of cancer can affect the hip, whether as a primary site or after a bone cancer has metastasized (spread) to a hip. These bone cancer types include:

  • Osteosarcoma, typically seen in children, adolescents, and young adults

  • Chondrosarcoma, which typically starts in the cartilage in adults

  • Ewing sarcoma, most often affecting the iliac bone in the hip of children and teens

  • Chordoma tumors that form in the spine



If a tumor that leads to hip pain continues to grow, breakthrough pain may occur. Breakthrough pain is pain that comes on suddenly, despite pain management for a condition. It can be very severe but often does not last for long periods of time.

In half of all bone cancer patients, this pain often lasts less than 15 minutes. Breakthrough pain can also be due to cancer treatments including:

Related: Signs and Symptoms of Bone Cancer

Other Causes of Hip Pain

Pain in the hip bone can be an indication of a tumor in the hip, but there are often other explanations for hip pain. Correctly diagnosing hip pain can be difficult because the hip joint is complex and deeply buried in the body. These factors make it difficult for healthcare providers to pinpoint the correct cause of the pain. Some common causes of hip pain are:

Most causes of pain in the hip are musculoskeletal and can be treated at home. If you have pain in your hip, self-care methods may help you find relief. This may include non-prescription medicines such as ibuprofen or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), herbal teas, creams, gels, compresses, yoga, meditation, walking, exercise, or a combination of these tactics.



Pain Diagnosis and Treatment

To properly diagnose pain that may be a hip cancer symptom, a healthcare provider takes a full health history, conducts a physical exam, orders X-rays, and possibly uses imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. A biopsy may be needed to diagnose a malignant tumor. Treatment will depend on the cancer type and stage.



Related: Different Types of Cancer Pain

Swelling

Swelling is another symptom of bone cancer. It often occurs after pain has progressed and can occur at the site of the tumor. Sometimes, it's possible to feel a mass, which would indicate a tumor.

In children and teens, swelling and pain are very common and much more likely to be caused by normal bumps and bruises from playing or participating in sports. In adults, swelling is less common unless there is a direct injury.

Even though swelling can occur with bone cancer in the hip, swelling is often a sign of something else. Swelling in the hip can be caused by an injury or a condition like bursitis, which is inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs around the joint.

Fatigue

If you have bone cancer in the hip, you may experience cancer-related fatigue. Between 80% and 100% of people with cancer feel this extreme tiredness or lack of energy. It can make completing daily tasks like brushing your teeth feel as exhausting as running a marathon. While rest is important with any disease, adequate rest doesn’t always provide relief from bone pain.

The reasons for fatigue caused by cancer aren’t fully known. However, researchers suspect it is triggered by a change in hormone or protein levels that are linked to inflammation or caused by toxins produced by the cancer itself. Some cancer treatments also cause fatigue.

Fever, Chills, and Night Sweats

Having a fever without an explanation can also indicate bone cancer in the hip. Malignant tumors are known to cause fever. If you are not sick and have no other explanation for a fever, this may be the case. In people who have a diagnosed cancer, a fever usually indicates infection, which should be treated right away.

With a fever, you may experience chills and night sweats. Night sweats can be a symptom of cancer, with sweating so profuse that they soak the sheets and you need to change your clothes. Cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, also can cause night sweats.

Related: An Overview of What Happens During Chemotherapy

Symptoms of Hypercalcemia

High blood levels of calcium, called hypercalcemia, can develop when cancer affects the bone.

These symptoms affect roughly 30% of people diagnosed with cancer, and can include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, and fatigue. In severe cases, hypercalcemia can cause seizures, coma, or even cardiac arrest.

The most common reason in cancer is because malignant tumors secrete a protein similar to one that stimulates bone cell activity, causing increased calcium in the bloodstream. Similar stimulation also occurs due to cancer-related inflammation.

Other Symptoms

As with other signs of bone cancer, limping can indicate a tumor in the hip. However, limping can also be the result of injury to the site, such as a fracture. Rheumatic disease, arthritis, or other conditions that affect the tendons surrounding the hip and the hip joint can also cause limping.

While a limp does not necessarily mean you have bone cancer in the hip, a limp that does not go away should be fully evaluated by a healthcare provider. If limping is caused by bone cancer in the hip, it is usually a symptom of later-stage bone cancer. This is often brought on by a broken bone or fracture caused by the tumor.

In addition to limping due to hip cancer, other symptoms can include:

When to See a Healthcare Provider

While you may experience some of these hip cancer symptoms, keep in mind that hip pain and stiffness, swelling, and fatigue are common with many other health conditions. It's when they don't go away or seem to worsen that a healthcare provider should assess and diagnose the problem.

It's also important to tell your provider about symptoms that are more likely to occur with cancer, including swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss.

Emergency Symptoms

Some symptoms, including chest pain and shortness of breath, should be assessed immediately. You also should seek immediate care if you have significant bleeding or a change in mental status.

While digestive symptoms that occur with hypercalcemia may not seem overly concerning, the condition can become severe without treatment. Consider seeking medical care if you have symptoms that may be due to high levels of calcium in the blood.

Summary

Hip cancer symptoms can occur due to one of two categories of bone cancer: primary and metastatic. Primary bone cancer begins in the bones whereas metastatic bone cancer spreads to bone from other parts of the body.

These cancers can cause pain, swelling, and limping at the hip, along with other symptoms including unexplained weight loss, swollen lymph glands, fever, and fatigue.

Many conditions can lead to these symptoms, and the likelihood of hip pain being cancerous is very low. But if pain persists or worsens, or you are experiencing other cancer-related symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

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