Bone Cancer: Understanding Types, Causes & Survival Rates

Bone cancer is one of the rarest forms of cancer, found in less than 0.2 percent of patients. It is often called primary bone cancer because it stems from abnormal cell growth and division within the bones. The survival rate is a little better than 50 percent, as this type of cancer is aggressive and difficult to treat.

Significance

• True bone cancer is cancer that originates in the bones and is quite rare, with only a little over 2,000 cases diagnosed annually.

Types

• Three types of common bone cancer are chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.

Children

• Osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma can affect adults, but are most commonly found in the developing nerve tissue of children's bones.

Adults

• Chondrosarcoma develops within the cartilage of the bone, and is found in adults more often than children.

Causes

• Bone cancer is caused by several factors including heredity, exposure to radiation and metal implants.

Symptoms

• Bone cancer can affect any bone in the body, but is most commonly found in the arm and legs where symptoms include pain and swelling.

Treatment

• Surgery is the long-standing treatment of choice for bone cancer but radiation, cryosurgery (application of extreme cold to a tumor) and chemotherapy are also used with a five-year survival rate of 75-85 percent.