The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for cancer of the bones and joints are for 2009:

• About 2570 new cases will be diagnosed
• About 1,470 deaths from these cancers are expected.

Primary cancers of bones account for less than 0.2% of all cancers.

In adults, chondrosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer, with over 40% of cases. This is followed by osteosarcoma (28%), chordoma (10%), Ewing tumor (8%), and malignant fibrous histiocytoma/fibrosarcoma (4%). Several rare types of cancers account for the remainder of cases. In children and teenagers, osteosarcoma and Ewing tumors are more common than chondrosarcoma.

The prognosis (outlook) for people with primary bone cancer varies greatly, depending on the specific type of cancer and how far it has spread. Statistics are available for the 2 most common bone cancers, chondrosarcoma and osteosarcoma.

Chondrosarcoma is found most often in adults, with 70% of cases in patients aged 40 or older. The average age at diagnosis is 51 years old. Most cases are diagnosed at an early stage and are low grade. It has a relative 5-year survival of about 80%.

In contrast, osteosarcoma is more common in children and young adults, with 70% of patients diagnosed before age 40. Most cases are high grade, and the relative 5-year survival is 50-60%.

5-year survival rates are the percentage of patients living at least 5 years after diagnosis. Of course, many patients may live longer than 5 years, but these rates are used to produce a standard way to discuss prognosis, or outlook for survival. Relative 5-year survival rates take into account the fact that some people will die of other causes. These rates compare the observed survival with that expected for people without the cancer. This is a more accurate way to describe the prognosis for patients with a particular type and stage of cancer.

If you have questions about your personal chances of cure of bone cancer or how long you might survive such a cancer, talk with your cancer care team.

Last Medical Review: 07/14/2009
Last Revised: 07/14/2009