Cancerous tumours of the bone
A cancerous tumour of the bone can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it. It can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Cancerous tumours are also called malignant tumours.
Cancer that starts in the bone (called primary bone cancer) is rare. It is more common in children and young adults than in older adults (people over 40 years old). Cancer that spreads to the bone from other parts of the body (called bone metastases) is much more common in older adults.
Most bone cancers are called sarcomas. A sarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in connective tissue that surrounds and supports various organs in the body, including bones.
The following are sarcomas and other cancers that can start in the bones of adults.
Chondrosarcoma
Chondrosarcoma is a tumour that creates an abnormal amount of cartilage, which is the strong and flexible tissue that lines the joints. Chondrosarcoma can start in any bone that has cartilage, but it is most often found in the thigh bone (femur) or bones in the pelvis (hip). It can also be found in the shoulder blades, the cartilage of the trachea or larynx and in bones of the skull, spine, arm or ribs.
Chondrosarcoma is the most common type of primary bone cancer in adults. It is mostly found in adults over the age of 50. The different subtypes of chondrosarcoma are:
- atypical cartilaginous tumour (also called low-grade chondrosarcoma)
- secondary peripheral chondrosarcoma (which develops from a non-cancerous osteochondroma)
- central chondrosarcoma
- periosteal chondrosarcoma
- clear cell chondrosarcoma
- mesenchymal chondrosarcoma
- dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma can start in any bone in the body, but it is most often found in the bones of the leg (femur or tibia) or the arm (humerus). In older adults, it may also be found in the bones of the pelvis, jaw or spine.
Osteosarcoma is the second most common type of primary bone cancer. It’s more common in children and adults younger than 40. It’s rare in people in their 40s, but found in people over 50.
Osteosarcoma is more common in people who have previously had
retinoblastoma,
The different subtypes of osteosarcoma are:
- low-grade central osteosarcoma
- osteosarcoma not otherwise specified (NOS)
- parosteal osteosarcoma
- periosteal osteosarcoma
- high-grade surface osteosarcoma
- secondary osteosarcoma (cancer that develops when the bone is damaged by disease or radiation)
Ewing sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma most often affects the pelvis and the bones in the leg (femur or tibia), arm (radius, ulna or humerus), ribs, spine or skull.
Ewing sarcoma is the third most common type of primary bone cancer. It is very rare in adults over 40 years old and much more common in teenagers and young adults.
Find out more about Ewing sarcoma.
Chordoma
Chordoma is a
Chordoma is a rare tumour. It is more common in men than women and in adults over the age of 50.
Other cancers that can start in the bones
The following cancers can start in the bones, but they are not considered primary bone cancer:
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