14-year-old beats rare cancer initially misdiagnosed as sports injury

What started as a pain in the shoulder turned out to be a rare form of cancer. Meet 14 year old Evan Lallo who battled against cancer and emerged a winner. He underwent treatment, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, at Cleveland Clinic. "Evan’s journey began in summer 2024, when he started having pain in his right shoulder. Active in athletics, playing basketball, football and lacrosse, his first diagnosis was rotator cuff tendinitis. He started treatment, but the pain and function of his right arm worsened as time went on," Cleveland Clinic has said in a statement. “It got to the point where I couldn’t even hold a pencil one day at school,” Evan said.The relentless pain finally pushed the boy and his family to the emergency department, desperate for answers. At first, they still believed it might just be a lingering sports injury, until an MRI revealed a mass in his neck. “It took quite an effort from a multidisciplinary team to identify what this was because it didn't seem like a typical place or behavior for common cancers we see in children. We worked together to figure out this was a bone tumor, called Ewing sarcoma, that happened to be growing along the nerves, which was causing pain and impacting his arm’s function,” said Evan’s pediatric oncologist Matteo Trucco, MD.“We were watching Evan closely to see if treating the cancer would take the pressure off his nerves and allow them to heal on their own. Fortunately, he regained a significant amount of function in his bicep, so he can bend his elbow. However, he didn’t recover much movement in his shoulder, which affected his ability to lift his arm up,” says peripheral nerve neurosurgeon Megan Jack, MD.Despite the challenges, Evan pushed forward with the support of his care team and family, who worked hard to keep life as normal as possible. His teachers kept him connected to schoolwork, while Dr. Trucco teamed up with his family and coaches to create a special moment for the basketball-loving teen.“At the beginning of all this, the basketball season was starting. And since basketball is his favorite sport, we were able to get special approval to let Evan go in for a play during one of the games,” his mother said.Evan, who was first diagnosed with the cancer symptom in November 2024, left the hospital seven months later, completing 7 months of treatment.Ewing sarcoma is one of those rare cancers most people have never even heard of until it touches their lives. It usually shows up in children, teens, and young adults, often during those super active years when growing pains and sports injuries seem more likely than something as serious as cancer. That’s part of what makes Ewing sarcoma tricky — its first signs can look a lot like an injury. Think pain, swelling, or a lump near a bone, especially in the arms, legs, chest, pelvis, or even the spine.What’s really happening is that abnormal cells are growing in the bone or the soft tissue around it. Over time, that growth can cause more obvious symptoms, constant pain that doesn’t go away with rest, limited movement, or even fevers and weight loss. Because it’s rare, doctors don’t always think of Ewing sarcoma right away, which sometimes leads to delays in diagnosis.Once diagnosed, kids and teens are usually treated with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and sometimes radiation. The aim is to shrink or remove the tumor and make sure it doesn’t spread. With early and aggressive treatment, survival rates have improved dramatically, and many patients go on to live full, active lives.Of course, the journey isn’t easy. Families often talk about the rollercoaster of emotions — from the shock of hearing “cancer” to the relief of hitting milestones like remission. But what stands out most is the resilience of these young patients. They face something incredibly tough at such a young age and often come out stronger than ever.