An osteochondroma is the most common type of benign bone tumor.
It arises from cartilage tissue in children and adolescents
between the ages of 10 and 20, usually appearing on the long
bones (arms and legs) and less often on the pelvic bones and
wing bones (scapulae). An osteochondroma ordinarily stops
growing when a person reaches full height. Most tissue in the
body can grow beyond normal limits and form a mass, also known
as a tumor. Tumors come in two forms: benign and malignant. The
malignancies which are referred to as cancer, rarely stop
growing. The benign tumors reach a certain size and then stop.
Bones can host at least ten different benign tumors, some of
which turn into cancers. Less than 1% of osteochondromas turn
into a bone cancer called chondrosarcoma, usually in later
years. The cause of osteochondroma remains unknown. A hereditary
form of the disease is presumably related to one or more gene
mutations (see below). The following factors increase your
chance of developing osteochondroma. If yo