As per American Cancer Society, all bone cancer cases in children and adults come with a 5-year comparative survival rate of around 70 percent. Diagnosis of the condition in the early stages results in a higher survival rate. Also, advancements in the field of medicine and medical therapies has also improved bone cancer survival rate.
Bone cancer is of two types, i.e., primary bone cancer which commence in bone tissue, and secondary or metastatic bone cancer which metastasizes or migrates from cancers of other organs in the body. Older adults typically suffer from the latter type of cancer where the malignancy has spread from cancer of some other tissue/organ.
Symptoms of bone cancer include weak bones, severe bone pain, fever and chills, loss of weight, abnormal lump development, night sweats, tenderness or swelling around joints or a bone, and anemia.
Bone cancer survival rate statistics
The prognosis and survival rate of bone cancer is dependent on varied factors such as the stage of cancer and its grade, etc. Bone cancer with a lower grade or stage comes with a higher chance of being cured.
Different methods are used to calculate the survival rates, which in turn are done for varied purposes. Factors determining bone cancer survival rate are as follows:
- Gender and race: The 5-year comparative survival rate for African-American males is 70 percent; for Caucasian males it is about 68 percent; for African-American females it is 68.5 percent; and for Caucasian women it is 72 percent.
- Age: On an average, bone cancer is diagnosed at age 38 years, while bone cancer caused average death age is 59 years. About 4 percent of patients are over 85 years old; around 30 percent are below 20 years of age; while around 18 percent and 12 percent of patients are in age groups of 20 to 34 years and 35 to 45 years respectively. About 19 percent bone cancer fatalities affect 75 to 85 year olds, while it is 15 percent for under 20 year olds.
- Types of bone cancer: Bone cancer survival rate varies as per the type.
- Early stage osteosarcoma comes with a survival rate of 60 to 80 percent, while late stage poses extreme treatment problems. Osteosarcoma that originates in the limbs has a better prognosis that those originating in the shoulder blades, ribs, pelvic bones, or spine.
- Advanced stage Ewing’s sarcoma comes with a 5-year survival rate of under 30 percent.
- The 5-year comparative survival rate for early stage chondrosarcoma is around 80 percent.
- Stages of bone cancer: Secondary/metastasized bone cancer comes with a survival rate of about 70 percent. About 35 percent of cases get diagnosed during this phase.
- Primary bone cancer comes with a survival rate of nearly 85 percent. This stage is also referred to as the localized phase. About 42 percent of bone cancer cases are diagnosed during this phase.
- In about 8 percent of cases, doctors are not aware of the precise stage information. It has a survival rate of about 63 percent.
- Stage 4 bone cancer survival rate, marked by metastasis of the cancer to distant areas, is around 32 percent. Nearly 15 percent of cases get detected during this phase.