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Bone Cancers

The most common types of bone tumor are osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma, both of which are most frequently diagnosed in children and young adults. Other less common types of bone cancer include: Chondrosarcoma (a cancer arising in cartilage cells, usually found in adults between ages 50-75, though the less common mesenchymal-chondrosarcoma is more frequent in younger patients), Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of bone (MFH), Chondoma (a rare low grade malignancy occurring mostly between ages 30 -70), and other rare tumors.

General Resources

Ewing's Sarcoma

Ewing's sarcoma / Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumours (PNET) of bone is a type of cancer usually found in children and young adults. The peak incidence is between ages 10 and 20, it is less common in children under 5 or in adults over 30. Ewing's s can occur in any bone in the body; the most common sites are the pelvis, thigh, lower leg, upper arm, and rib. The tumour is composed of small round blue cells. Ewing's sarcoma can also arise in soft tissue (extra-skeletal); see Soft Tissue Sarcoma in this guide.

Osteosarcoma

Osteogenic Sarcoma (osteosarcoma) is a bone forming cancer. It is the most frequent type of bone tumour and is most common between the ages of 15 to 25. Over 90% of tumors are located in the metaphysis (the growing ends of the bone), the most common sites are the bones around the knee which account for 80% of cases. Osteosarcomas vary greatly in radiological and pathological features and therefore needs careful diagnosis to differentiate this from other bone tumors. Most are high grade intramedullary osteosarcomas, about 5% are low grade lesions, some are secondary osteosarcomas (for example those caused by radiation therapy).

Chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma is a type of cancer arising in cartilage cells, usually found in adults between ages 40-75, though the less common mesenchymal-chondrosarcoma is more frequent in younger patients. Chondrosarcoma accounts for 20% of all primary malignant bone tumors. The most common sites of disease are the pelvis, ribs and upper thigh, the tumour is rarely found below the knees or below the elbows. In extremely rare cases the disease can arise in soft tissue (Extraosseous Chondrosarcoma).

Orthopaedics Links

Other Bone Tumours

  • Chordoma (bonetumor.org) a summary with radiology images and pathology slides.
  • Eosinophylic Granuloma (bonetumor.org) a summary with radiology images and pathology slides.
  • MFH (bonetumor.org) a summary with radiology images and pathology slides.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumors that may arise in any of the mesodermal tissues (muscles, tendons, vessels that carry blood or lymph, joints, and fat). Sarcomas are a diverse range of tumors, they are named after the type of soft tissue cell they arise from. Types of soft tissue sarcomas include; alveolar soft-part sarcoma, angiosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, hemangiopericytoma, mesenchymoma, schwannoma, peripheral neuroectodermal tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and other types. In terms of treatment these different sub-types are usually treated in the same way using a uniform soft tissue protocol.

  • Oncolink Menu for Sarcoma
  • SARCOMA-MED (ACOR) a list for medical queries relating to sarcomas - not a general discussion list. Specialist sarcoma physicians have volunteered to answer medical queries posted to the list.
  • Sarcoma.Net An educational site for sarcoma patients including sarcoma facts, information about clinical trials and links. The site is by George Demetri, MD a sarcoma specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
  • Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Overview (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)
  • CancerLit: Sarcoma (National Cancer Institute) On-line abstracts for health professionals. Sorted by month and year for soft tissue sarcoma / rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Oncolink Menu for Sarcoma
  • Connective Tissue Oncology Society An international group of physicians and scientists founded in 1995 to advance the care of patients and to advance basic and clinical research into connective tissue tumors. The site includes details of the society, membership, meetings, registry etc
  • International Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry (Connective Tissue Oncology Society) data is being collected for ongoing CTOS studies. As well as data on common tumor types the registry aims to collect data on rare tumors.
  • Sarcoma (Journal) a peer reviewed international journal publishing papers covering all aspects of connective tissue oncology research. Table of Contents Email service.
  • Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremities..Clinicopathologic and MRI Features (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Childhood soft tissue sarcomas account for approximately 10% of all childhood cancers. About half of all childhood soft tissue sarcomas are rhabdomyosarcoma, which arises from skeletal muscle, these are most common between the ages of 2 and 6. The other soft tissue sarcomas of childhood include a wide range of different histologies including fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, schwannoma, soft tissue Ewing's / peripheral neuroectodermal tumors, synovial sarcoma and many other types. These non-rhabdo sarcomas are more common in adults, but these tumors usually behave quite differently in children compared to the same tumors in adults.

Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumors that may arise in any of the mesodermal tissues (muscles, tendons, vessels that carry blood or lymph, joints, and fat). The peak age incidence is around 50 years. Sarcomas are a diverse range of tumors, they are named after the type of soft tissue cell they arise from. Types of soft tissue sarcomas include; alveolar soft-part sarcoma, angiosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, hemangiopericytoma, mesenchymoma, schwannoma, peripheral neuroectodermal tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and other types.

Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of cancer where malignant cells are found in the tissues under the skin, lining of the mouth, nose, and anus. Symptoms may include red or purple patches (lesions) on the skin and other parts of the body. Many (though not all) Kaposi's sarcomas are AIDS related.

Kaposi's Sarcoma

Desmoplasic Small Round Cell Tumour (DSRCT)

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