Exploring new treatment options for simple bone cyst By Suzanne M. Yandow, M.D. Bone tumor. Most of us hear those words and immediately think of cancer. While cancerous tumors are one type of tumor, there are many benign tumors of children's bones which are treated by Shriners Hospitals for Children orthopaedic facilities. Suzanne Yandow, M.D., formerly assistant chief of staff at the Intermountain Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City, and now at the Shriners Hospital in Honolulu, examines sisters Sarah, left, and Hannah during an outpatient clinic visit.
Tumor simply means growth.
A growth of normal cells in an abnormal location forms a benign tumor. Cells that grow abnormally are a malignant tumor or cancer. There are many different benign tumors that occur in the growing skeleton. They vary in the locations where they grow and in the different contents of the lesions. There is a unique bone tumor that occurs in a child's growing skeleton called a simple bone cyst, also known as a solitary or unicameral bone cyst.