Bone
Bone: Bone is the substance that forms the skeleton of the body. It is composed chiefly of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. It also serves as a storage area for calcium, playing a large role in calcium balance in the blood.
The 206 bones in the body serve several other purposes. They support and protect internal organs (for example, the skull protects the brain and the ribs protect the lungs). Muscles pull against bones to make the body move. Bone marrow, the soft, spongy tissue in the center of many bones, makes and stores blood cells.
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- Bone cancer
A malignancy of bone. Primary bone cancer (cancer that begins in bone) is rare, but it is not unusual for cancers to metastasize (spread) to bone from other parts of the body, such as the breast, lung, and prostate. The most common type of primary bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which develops in new tissue in […]
- Bone cyst, aneurysmal
Bone cyst, aneurysmal: A benign lesion in a bone that contains connective tissue and blood inside a thin bony shell. Aneurysmal bone cysts act like tumors and expand the bone, and they typically occur in the second decade of life. They can affect any bone in the arms, legs, trunk, or skull.
- Bone cyst, simple
Bone cyst, simple: A solitary fluid-filled cavity (cyst) in a bone, usually in the shaft of a long bone, especially the humerus, in a child. A simple bone cyst can cause pain in or near the bone. Also known as unicameral bone cyst and solitary bone cyst.
- Bone density
Bone density: Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. It can be measured using a special x-ray called a quantitative computed tomogram.
- Bone marrow
The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains fat and immature and mature blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Diseases or drugs that affect the bone marrow can affect the total counts of these cells.