Bone Cancer Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging

Learn about the signs and symptoms of bone cancer. Find out how it is tested for, diagnosed, and staged.

Note: This information focuses on bone cancers that are seen most often in adults and start in the bones (primary bone cancers). Osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and bone metastases are covered separately.

Can bone cancer be found early?

At this time, there are no widely recommended screening tests for bone cancer in people without any known risk factors. (Screening is testing for cancer in people without any symptoms.) Still, most bone cancers are found at an early stage before they have clearly spread to other parts of the body.

Watching for early signs and symptoms can be helpful in finding bone cancer early and treating it successfully. Tell your health care team if you have symptoms, so they can find a cause and treat it if needed.

For people at higher risk

For some people who are at increased risk for bone cancer because of gene changes or bone conditions, doctors might recommend closer monitoring.

For example, people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome are recommended to have imaging tests once a year to watch for early cancers, including bone cancers. In other cases, regular physical exams and attention to early signs or symptoms may be recommended.

What are the signs and symptoms of bone cancer?

The most common signs or symptoms of bone cancer include:

• Bone pain
• Broken bones
• Lump or swelling

Tumors that grow in the bones of the arms or legs may be caught earlier because symptoms might be more noticeable. Tumors in the bones of the chest, back, or pelvis may be less noticeable early on.

Many of these symptoms may be due to other causes, but it’s important to check with your health care team.

How is bone cancer diagnosed?

Diagnosing bone cancer often involves physical exams, imaging and blood tests, as well as a biopsy of the tumor to confirm the diagnosis. If bone cancer is confirmed on the biopsy, detailed tests will be done to learn more about it and how best to treat it.

Imaging tests are also used during and after treatment to help track how well treatment is working.

Bone cancer stages

If you are diagnosed with bone cancer, your cancer care team will try to figure out if it has spread, and if so, how far. This process is called staging. The stage of a cancer describes how much cancer is in the body. It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it.

The stage of a bone cancer is based on the results of physical exams, imaging tests, and any biopsies that have been done.

Outlook for bone cancers

After a bone cancer diagnosis, many people want to know what to expect. Your cancer care team can use several pieces of information to better understand the outlook of your cancer. This includes the stage of your cancer, your age, your overall health, and any gene changes in the tumor cells.

Survival rates are a way to measure how many people survive a certain type of cancer over time. These are often reported as 5-year survival rates. This refers to the percentage of people who live at least 5 years after their cancer diagnosis. Of course, many people live much longer.

Some people find this information helpful while others prefer to focus on treatment plans and next steps.