I need to know what exactly is cancer of the rib cage.  What are the different types (such as osteo, chrono, ewings) etc. How to determine the stage it is in.  Especially important is the fact that this person was a heroin addict and apparently it stemmed from there.  I have looked at sites and they always refer to bone cancer as a tumor (is that correct) and what is meant by mastication.
Hi, Thanks for writing in. Ribs are bones and to be specific they are flat bones. Tumors on any type can originate in ribs but Ewing's sarcoma is the commonest and seen in young adults. However, bone malignancies can occur in variable age groups. Ewing's is one type of bone cancer that is due to uncontrolled proliferation of round cells. This tumor responds well to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and patient survival is good. I suggest the person should get a CT scan done, and then an image guided FNAC or biopsy is required to confirm diagnosis. Once confirmed, treatment is by a team and might include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Patients must follow up regularly when taking treatment for best outcome. Mastication is the act of chewing food using our jaws. Please do not worry.