Mark Herzlich has Ewing’s Sarcoma. Herzlich, a Boston College linebacker, reveals Ewing’s Sarcoma has been discovered after he felt pain in his leg.

He was reportedly shocked by the news.

“Obviously I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do.”

Last year, Herzlich was ACC Defensive Player of the Year. What is Ewing’s scaroma? Cancer index describes it as the following:

The cancer can start in bone or in soft tissues. The most common sites for Ewing’s sarcoma are the pelvis, the thigh, and the trunk of the body. The peak ages are between 10 and 20, but younger children and older adults can also get Ewing’s sarcoma. We do not know exactly what kind of cell gives rise to Ewing’s sarcoma. It has some features that resemble the early cells that would normally develop into part of the nervous system. We do not know what causes Ewing’s sarcoma. The most common early signs of Ewing’s sarcoma are pain and swelling. Like other sarcomas, Ewing’s sarcoma can spread to other parts of the body. Even when the tumour is detected at a very small size, there may be evidence of microscopic spread. For this reason, Ewing’s sarcoma always requires treatment to the whole body. This treatment includes chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is intended to destroy the tumour cells which have spread to the rest of the body and to shrink the main mass of tumour cells. Successful treatment also requires another form of treatment to the main mass of tumour. This can be surgery, radiation therapy, or a combination of the two.

The symptoms are verified by medical examination, as was the case for Herzlich:

If a bone tumour is suspected the doctor will do a complete medical examination. This may include a blood test as bone tumours can be associated with increased levels of certain enzymes in the blood. The doctor may also recommend X-rays and other scans of the bone(s), if X-rays and scans suggest that a tumour might be present then a biopsy (removal of a sample of tissue) will be performed. A pathologist will then examine the cells to determine whether it is cancerous, and if so what type of cancer it is. Ewing’s sarcoma is composed of small-blue-round cells, these can appear similar to other types of cancer so special stains and other laboratory tests are needed to make the diagnosis.

http://www.cancerindex.org/ccw/faq/ewings.htm