Survival statistics for bone cancer
Survival statistics for bone cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person’s chances of survival.
There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for bone cancer and what they mean to you.
Net survival
Net survival represents the probability of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive their cancer.
In Canada, the 5-year net survival for bone cancer is 62%. This means that about 62% of people diagnosed with bone cancer will survive for at least 5 years.
Survival by tumour type
Survival varies with each type of bone cancer. Some types of bone cancer often respond well to cancer treatment. Generally, the earlier bone cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
Survival by tumour type for bone cancer is reported as 5-year relative survival. Relative survival looks at how likely people with cancer are to survive after their diagnosis compared to people in the general population who do not have cancer but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages or types of bone cancer. The following information comes from a variety of sources. It may include statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as in Canada.
|
Tumour type |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
chondrosarcoma (the most common adult bone cancer) |
80% |
|
osteosarcoma, localized (stages 1, 2 and 3) |
60% to 80% |
|
osteosarcoma, metastatic to lungs only (stage 4) |
40% |
|
osteosarcoma, metastatic to other organs (stage 4) |
15% to 30% |
Ewing sarcoma is very rare in adults, so accurate statistics are hard to find. Research comparing studies looking at survival rates for adult Ewing sarcoma have shown 5-year relative survival between 41% and 58%.
Questions about survival
Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:
- your health history
- the type of cancer
- the stage
- certain characteristics of the cancer
- the treatments chosen
- how the cancer responds to treatment
Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.