Types of bone cancer

There are several different types of primary bone cancer that can start in the cells of the bones. The cancer cells are bone cells that have become cancerous.

Secondary bone cancer

Most people who have cancer cells in their bones don't have primary bone cancer. They have cancer cells that have spread into the bone from a cancer elsewhere in the body. This is called secondary or metastatic bone cancer. For example, in breast cancer that has spread to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones will be breast cancer cells. 

If you have secondary bone cancer, this is not the right section for you. You need to look at the section for your type of primary cancer. It's named after the part of your body where your cancer started.

Chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma is the most common type of primary bone cancer. It is most common in adults aged 30 to 60 years old. It is a cancer of cartilage cells within the bone.

Cartilage is the shiny, smooth substance that normally covers the ends of bones in the joints. But it can also be found within the bone.

Chondrosarcoma can grow inside a bone or on the bone surface. They are most commonly found in the long bones such as the fibula, femur, tibia, humerus, radius and ulna.

Other possible sites for chondrosarcoma to develop include the:

• hips (pelvis)

• shoulder blades

• ribs

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the second most common type of primary bone cancer. You can get it at any age but it is more common in:

• children
• teenagers and young adults
• people in their 70's and 80's years of life

It is slightly more common in men and Black people. Osteosarcomas can grow anywhere in the skeleton, but most commonly develop around the knee. Other common sites for osteosarcoma include the:

• thigh bone (femur)

• upper shin bone (tibia)

• upper arm bone (humerus)

Ewing sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma is most common in children and adolescents. But adults can get it. It usually starts in the:

• long bones
• hips (pelvis)
• ribs
• vertebrae (bones that protect the spinal cord and make up the spinal column)

There are some other types of sarcoma that are similar to Ewing sarcomas Round cell sarcoma is one type. Round cell sarcoma usually has letters after its name which stand for the gene changes (mutations) involved. This type usually starts in the thigh bone (femur), but other sites include:

• upper arm bone (humerus)
• lower arm bone (radius)
• upper shin bone (tibia)

Treatment for round cell sarcomas is usually the same as treatment for Ewing sarcoma.

It is important that doctors know what type of bone cancer you have. It helps them talk to you about your diagnosis and how well your treatment might work.

You can also get Ewing sarcoma in the soft tissues of the body. Soft tissues are the connective and supporting tissues in the body. These include:

• fat
• muscle
• blood vessels
• deep skin tissues
• nerves
• tendons and ligaments
• the tissues around the joints

These types of cancers are called soft tissue sarcomas. The treatment is treated the same way as Ewing bone tumour treatment.

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the bone

This type of bone cancer used to be called malignant fibrous pleomorphic sarcomas of the bone. They are usually fast growing and at least half of them spread to other parts of the body.

They usually start in the long bones and the most common site is the thigh bone (femur). The next most common site is upper shin bone (tibia) and then the upper arm bone (humerus).

They are more common in men. And they are mostly diagnosed in people over 40 years of age. 

You can also get undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the soft tissues.

Chordoma

Chordoma is a very rare, slow growing type of bone cancer. 

Chordomas grow from the notochord. The notochord forms the early spinal tissue in a baby developing in the womb. During development, the notochord gets replaced by bone. But sometimes small areas of notochord may remain in adults.

About 50 out of 100 chordomas (about 50%) grow in the bone at the bottom of the spine (sacrum). The rest develop in the bones of the skull and spine.

Other types of primary bone cancers

There are some types of sarcoma that usually start in the soft tissue. But these can sometimes start in the bone. Types include:

•  fibrosarcoma
•  leiomyosarcoma

There are other types of cancers that can develop in the bone. They are rare and include:

• giant cell tumour of the bone
• adamantinoma