Bone sarcoma statistics

Cases

New cases of bone sarcoma each year, 2016-2018 average, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from bone sarcoma, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive bone sarcoma for 10 or more years, 2009-2013, England

 

  • There are around 550 new bone sarcoma cases in the UK every year, that's more than 1 every day (2016-2018).
  • Bone sarcoma is not among the 20 most common cancers in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer cases (2016-2018).
  • In females in the UK, bone sarcoma is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 250 new cases every year (2016-2018).
  • In males in the UK, bone sarcoma is not among the 20 most common cancers, with around 300 new cases every year (2016-2018).
  • Incidence rates for bone sarcoma in the UK are highest in people aged 75 to 79 (2016-2018).
  • Each year almost 3 in 20 (13%) of all new bone sarcoma cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2016-2018).
  • Since the early 1990s, bone sarcoma incidence rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have remained stable (2016-2018).
  • Over the last decade, bone sarcoma incidence rates have decreased by around a tenth (11%) in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have decreased by around a sixth (18%) (2016-2018).
  • The most common specific location for bone sarcomas in the UK is the lower limb (2016-2018).
  • Bone sarcoma incidence rates are projected to fall by 8% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 510 new cases of bone sarcoma every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Bone sarcoma incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • An estimated 69,100 people who had previously been diagnosed with bladder cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth bone sarcoma incidence statistics

  • There are around 380 bone sarcoma deaths in the UK every year, that's around 1 every day (2017-2019).
  • Bone sarcoma is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death in the UK, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).
  • In females in the UK, bone sarcoma is not among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, with around 170 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • In males in the UK, bone sarcoma is the 20th most common cause of cancer death, with around 210 deaths every year (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for bone sarcoma in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2017-2019).
  • Each year around a third of all bone sarcoma deaths (34%) in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the late 1970s, bone sarcoma mortality rates have decreased by a seventh (14%) in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have decreased by a quarter (25%) (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, bone sarcoma mortality rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have remained stable (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for bone sarcoma are generally similar in people of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, where data is available, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.
  • Bone sarcoma in England is not associated with deprivation.

See more in-depth bone sarcoma mortality statistics

  • More than half (55%) of people diagnosed with bone sarcoma in England survive their disease for ten years or more, it is predicted (2009-2013).
  • Bone sarcoma ten-year survival in England is similar in females and males (2009-2013).
  • Bone sarcoma five-year survival in England in males is highest for those diagnosed at 50-59 years old and in females is highest for those diagnosed at 15-49 years old (2009-2013).
  • Five-year relative survival for bone sarcoma is similar to the European average in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and below the European average in Scotland. Further details on cancer survival in Europe can be found on the EUROCARE website.
  • For bone sarcoma, like other cancer sites, survival trends reflect a combination of changes in treatment and stage distribution. These factors themselves can vary by age, sex and deprivation.
  • Further survival statistics by stage can be found on the Early Diagnosis Data Hub and information on treatments for cancer can be found here.
  • Further one-, five- and ten-year survival statistics can be found on the Cancer Statistics Dashboard.
  • A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
  • 1 in 1600 UK females and 1 in 1600 UK males will be diagnosed with bone sarcoma in their lifetime (born in 1961).

See more in-depth bone sarcoma risk statistics

See the interactive cancer treatment online tool produced by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). This presents, for the first time, population-based statistics on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical tumour resections in England, by demographic factors and geography.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.