Types of bone cancer
This page tells you about the different types of cancer that start in the bones. There is information on
Primary and secondary bone cancer
A primary bone cancer is one that starts in the bones. A secondary cancer in the bones has spread from somewhere else in the body. All the information in this section of CancerHelp is about primary bone cancer. If you have secondary bone cancer, you need the section of CancerHelp for your original cancer type.
Osteosarcoma
The commonest type of primary bone cancer is osteosarcoma. It is most often diagnosed in children and teenagers but can occur at any age. Osteosarcomas can grow anywhere in the skeleton, but the commonest places are in the legs or upper arm.
Ewing’s sarcoma
This bone cancer is most often diagnosed in teenagers. It most often starts in the pelvis or leg bones. Ewing's tumours can also develop in the soft tissues. The treatment for these soft tissue tumours is the same as for Ewing's bone tumours.
Chondrosarcoma
This is most often diagnosed in middle age and is usually slow growing. Chondrosarcoma can start in the pelvis, the thigh, the upper arm, shoulder blades or ribs.
Lower down this page there is information about very rare types of bone cancer.
A primary bone cancer is one that starts in the bones. The cancer cells are bone cells that have become cancerous. All the information in this section of CancerHelp UK is about primary bone cancer.
A secondary cancer in the bones has spread from somewhere else in the body. The cancer cells are like the cells of the original tumour. So if you have had breast cancer and it spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones will actually be breast cancer cells.
We keep stressing this because it is very important when you are looking for information on cancer. If you have a secondary cancer, you need to look in the CancerHelp UK section for your original cancer type. The behaviour of the cancer, including the treatment that it will respond to, depends on where it starts in the body.
The most common type of primary bone cancer is osteosarcoma. It is most often diagnosed in teenagers and young adults but can occur at any age. Osteosarcomas can grow anywhere in the skeleton. But the most common sites are the
- Lower thigh (femur)
- Upper shin bone (tibia)
- Upper arm (humerus)
- Lower shin bone
This is named after the surgeon who first described it. This bone cancer is also most often diagnosed in teenagers.
Ewing's sarcoma most often start in the pelvis, thigh (femur) or shin (tibia) bones. It is also possible to get a Ewing's tumour in the soft tissues of the body. Soft connective tissue tumours are called soft tissue sarcomas. If you have a soft tissue Ewing's tumour, you will have the type of treatment described in this section of CancerHelp UK, because these tumours respond to the same treatment as Ewing's bone tumours.
This is a type of primary bone cancer most often diagnosed in adults over the age of 40. It is relatively rare - about as common as Ewing's sarcoma. The cancer produces cartilage (chondroid). This is the shiny, smooth substance that normally covers the ends of bones in the joints. Chondrosarcoma can grow inside a bone or on the bone surface. So islands of cartilage can be found inside the bone or on the surface in an area where it wouldn't normally grow. This bone tumour is usually slow growing. The most common sites for chondrosarcoma are the
- Pelvis
- Thigh bone (femur)
- Upper arm (humerus)
- Shoulder blade (scapula)
- Ribs
Spindle cell sarcomas are very similar to osteosarcomas but do not produce a bony substance called osteoid (whereas osteosarcomas do). They tend to occur in adults over the age of 40. There are 4 types of spindle cell sarcoma - undifferentiated sarcoma of bone, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. These behave and are treated in a similar way to osteosarcoma.
Undifferentiated sarcoma of bone means that the cells are not specialised. They are quite primitive and it isn't possible to tell what type of normal cells they originated from within the bones. When the cells are more specialised in spindle cell sarcoma, your specialist will classify it as histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma or leiomyosarcoma, according to the appearance of the cells under a microscope.
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is a very rare type of spindle cell sarcoma that tends to be found in middle aged adults. The arms and legs are the most common sites.
Fibrosarcoma is also very rare and most often diagnosed in middle aged adults. The most common site for fibrosarcoma is the thigh bone (femur).
Leiomyosarcoma of bone is extremely rare and very little is known about it.
Chordomas are a very rare, slow growing type of bone cancer. They are most common in people between 40 and 60 years of age. They tend to occur more often in women than men. There are around 20 cases in the UK each year.
Chordomas develop from the notochord. The notochord forms the early spinal tissue in a foetus developing in the womb. After about six months, this tissue is replaced by the bone. But sometimes small areas of the notochord may remain.
About 2 out of 5 chordomas (35 to 40%) occur in the skull or the bones in the middle area of the face. The rest develop in the bones of the spine (the vertebrae). About half of these are in the lower part of the spine. Chordomas do not usually spread but if they do the most common places are the lungs, nearby lymph nodes, the liver, and skin.
We have detailed information about chordomas and their treatment in our question and answer section.
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