How is bone pain, joint pain or sternal pressure pain caused in patients with leukemia?

Many people with leukemia start with bone pain or joint pain because most human hematopoietic cells are found in the bone marrow cavity of flat bones. When leukemia occurs, the malignant hematopoietic cells, or “leukemia cells” as they are called, proliferate in the bone marrow cavity and increase in size indefinitely. But the bone around our bone marrow cavity is hard and inelastic and has a limited capacity, which makes the tension in the bone marrow cavity much higher and causes pain.

In addition, malignant tumor cells can infiltrate the bone cortex, periosteum, and joint cavity.

Infiltration of the joint cavity leads to increased pressure in the joint cavity and joint pain;

Infiltration of the periosteum, where the nerves are most abundantly distributed, which is where they are most sensitive to pain, can also lead to significant bone pain.

The degree of bone pain caused varies; some patients will have pressure pain in the sternum, which is evident when a bone marrow puncture is performed; others have pain to the point where they cannot stand and have to be wheelchair-bound. When these occur, immediate medical attention is required.