Bone Cancer (Sarcoma of Bone): Statistics

Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 02/2023

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of people who will be diagnosed with bone sarcoma each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors, and no 2 people with cancer are the same. Use the menu to see other pages.

Every person is different, with different factors influencing their risk of being diagnosed with this cancer and the chance of recovery after a diagnosis. It is important to talk with your doctor about any questions you have around the general statistics provided below and what they may mean for you individually. The original sources for these statistics are provided at the bottom of this page.

How many people are diagnosed with bone sarcoma?

As explained in the Introduction, primary bone sarcoma is cancer that starts in the bone. Less than 1% of all cancers are primary bone sarcomas. For adults, it is much more common for cancer that started in another place in the body to spread to the bone. The statistics below are about primary bone sarcoma.

In 2023, an estimated 3,970 people of all ages (2,160 men and boys and 1,810 women and girls) in the United States will be diagnosed with primary bone sarcoma. In 2020, it was estimated that about 400 of these cases occurred in people ages 15 to 19.

It is estimated that 2,140 deaths (1,200 men and boys and 940 women and girls) from this disease will occur in the United States in 2023.

In adults, chondrosarcoma makes up most primary bone sarcomas. The next most common type of bone sarcoma in adults is osteosarcoma, followed by chordoma and Ewing sarcoma. The remaining types of bone sarcoma are rare.

In teens and children, osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are diagnosed far more often than chondrosarcoma and other bone cancers.

What is the survival rate for bone sarcoma?

There are different types of statistics that can help doctors evaluate a person’s chance of recovery from bone sarcoma. These are called survival statistics. A specific type of survival statistic is called the relative survival rate. It is often used to predict how having cancer may affect life expectancy. Relative survival rate looks at how likely people with bone sarcoma are to survive for a certain amount of time after their initial diagnosis or start of treatment compared to the expected survival of similar people.

Example: Here is an example to help explain what a relative survival rate means. Please note this is only an example and not specific to this type of cancer. Let’s assume that the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific type of cancer is 90%. “Percent” means how many out of 100. Imagine there are 1,000 people without cancer, and based on their age and other characteristics, you expect 900 of the 1,000 to be alive in 5 years. Also imagine there are another 1,000 people similar in age and other characteristics as the first 1,000, but they all have the specific type of cancer that has a 5-year survival rate of 90%. This means it is expected that 810 of the people with the specific cancer (90% of 900) will be alive in 5 years.

It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for people with bone sarcoma are only an estimate. They cannot tell an individual person if cancer will or will not shorten their life. Instead, these statistics describe trends in groups of people previously diagnosed with the same disease, including specific stages of the disease.

The survival rates for bone sarcoma vary based on several factors. These include the stage of cancer, a person’s age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works. Other factors that can affect outcomes include the type of bone sarcoma that is diagnosed (see Introduction).

The 5-year relative survival rate of people with chordoma is 79%. If the cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 86%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 85%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 61%.

There are multiple types of chondrosarcoma. Some are slow growing (low grade), while others are faster growing (high grade). The rates given here are the average for all types of chondrosarcoma. The 5-year relative survival rate of people with chondrosarcoma is 79%. If the cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 91%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 75%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 23%.

The 5-year relative survival rate for Ewing sarcoma is 62%. If the cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 82%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 70%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 39%.

The 5-year relative survival rate for osteosarcoma is 60%. If the cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 77%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 65%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 26%.

Experts measure relative survival rate statistics for bone sarcoma every 5 years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how bone sarcoma is diagnosed or treated from the last 5 years. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about this information. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's (ACS) publications, Cancer Facts & Figures 2023 and Cancer Facts & Figures 2020, and the ACS website. (All sources accessed February 2023.)

The next section in this guide is Medical Illustrations. It offers drawings of body parts often affected by bone sarcoma. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.