Malignant bone tumours are diagnosed in about 60 children a year in the UK.

Of these, osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are the most common.

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Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma arises most often at the end of bones where growth occurs. Normal control of this process is lost and a swelling (tumour) occurs.

Osteosarcoma accounts for just over half of childhood bone tumours, with two thirds of childhood cases occurring in the 10 to 14 year age group.

Five-year survival remains at about 65%.

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Ewings Sarcoma

The Ewing’s family of tumours are mainly of bone, but can occur in soft tissue too.

It accounts for just over a third of all bone tumours in children.

The overall five year survival rate for Ewing sarcoma of bone is 68%. It can however occur in soft tissue as well.

 

For extra-osseous tumours, the survival rate is lower at 58%.

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Bone tumours in children can present with a number of symptoms including bone pain - this may come and go initially but then become more persistent, local tenderness, sometimes erythema, swelling or pathological fracture. Treatment usually relies on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and often radical surgery including either amputation or limb salvage techniques in the hope of reaching remission.