This year, an estimated 800 people total, including 400 people younger than 20, will be diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the United States. About 3% of all childhood cancers are osteosarcoma. It most often affects teenagers and young adults in their 20s. The five-year survival rate (the percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) depends on the type and subtype of the cancer, the cancer’s response to treatment, and the degree to which the cancer has spread. For children, the overall five-year survival rate is 71%.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of people with this type of cancer in the United States, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with osteosarcoma. Because the survival statistics are measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer. Learn more about understanding statistics [2].

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society’s publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2013.