Bone cancer survival rates

Factors such as how long a person has had cancer and whether it has spread influence the survival rate of bone cancer patients. Bone Cancer survival rate also depends on the type of bone cancer, stage of bone cancer, the rate of progress of the cancer and the response treatment, age of the patient and other factors. The relative survival rate measures the survival of bone cancer patients in comparison to the general population to estimate the cancer's effect. 5-year survival rates are the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is found. Of course, many patients may live longer than 5 years. Relative 5-year survival rates compare the number of people who are still alive 5 years after their cancer was found to the survival of others the same age who don't have cancer. For all cases of bone cancer combined (in both adults and children), the 5-year relative survival is about 70%.

The bone cancer survival rate shows the percentage of people with a certain type and stage of bone cancer who survive the disease for a specific period of time after their diagnosis. In most cases, statistics refer to the 5-year bone cancer survival rate. This is the percentage of people who alive 5 years after a bone cancer diagnosis, whether they have few or no signs or symptoms of bone cancer, are free of disease, or are having treatment for bone cancer.

 The bone cancer survival rate is based on large population, and it cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient. No two patients are exactly alike, and bone cancer treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.

In general, the bone cancer survival rate will depend on:

v   The size, the location, and the type of bone cancer

v   The bone cancer stage (how far the cancer has spread)

( Health32, n.d)

v   How long the patient has had symptoms

v   How much of the cancer is taken out by surgery and/or killed by chemotherapy

v   The patient's age, blood, and other test results

v   The patient's general health.

The overall 5-year relative bone cancer survival rate for 1995-2001 was 69.4 percent.

The 5-year relative bone cancer survival rates were:

 Race and sex:

v  67.5 percent for Caucasian men

v  72.1 percent for Caucasian women

v  70.0 percent for African-American men

v  68.4 percent for African-American women.

Age:

The median age at diagnosis for bone cancer is 38 years and the average age at death due to bone cancer is 59 years. Nearly 29% patients diagnosed with bone cancer are under age 20 while only 3.5% people are above 85 years of age. 17.5 % are between 20 -34 while 12% are between 35-45. Nearly 15% of the patients who die, are under the age 20 while around 19% of the patients who die, are between the age 75-85.

Stages:

v  The primary bone cancer survival rate when the patients are diagnosed while the cancer is still confined to the primary site (localized stage) is 84.5% . Nearly 42% cases are diagnosed at this stage.

v  The secondary bone cancer survival rate, when the patients are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes beyond the primary location, is nearly 70%. Around 35% cases are diagnosed at this stage.

v  Stage 4 bone cancer survival rate or the metastatic bone cancer survival rate, when the patients are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized (spread) to distant places, is nearly32%. About 15% cases are diagnosed at this stage.

v  Approximately 8% of the cases of bone cancer, the exact staging information is not available .

                                                 (Science Photo Library, n.d)

There are many different types of bone cancer. The most common primary bone tumors include osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma, and chordoma.

• Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone cancer. It affects males between 10 and 25 years old but can less commonly affect older adults. It often occurs in the long bones of the arms and legs at areas of rapid growth around the knees and shoulders of children. This type of cancer is often aggressive with risk of spread to the lungs. The five-year survival rate is about 65%.

• Ewing's sarcoma affects younger people between 4-15 years of age. It is more common in males and is very rare in people over 30 years of age. It  occurs in the middle of the long bones of the arms and legs. The three-year survival rate is about 65%, but this rate is much lower if there has been spread to the lungs or other tissues of the body.

• Chondrosarcoma is the second most common bone tumor and accounts for about 25% of all malignant bone tumors. These tumors arise from the cartilage cells and can either be very aggressive or relatively slow growing. Chondrosarcoma is most common in people over 40 years of age. It is more common in males and can potentially spread to the lungs and lymph nodes. Chondrosarcoma most commonly affects the bones of the pelvis and hips. The five-year survival for the aggressive form is about 30%, but the survival rate for slow-growing tumors is 90%.

• Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) affects the soft tissues, including muscle, ligaments, tendons, and fat. It is the most common soft-tissue malignancy in later adult life, usually occurring in people 50-60 years of age. It most commonly affects the extremities and is about twice as common in males as females. MFH also has a wide range of severity. The overall five-year survival rate is about 35%-60%.

• Fibrosarcoma is much more rare than the other bone tumors. It is most common in people 35-55 years of age. It most commonly affects the soft tissues of the leg behind the knee. It is slightly more common in males than females.

• Chordoma is a very rare tumor with an average survival of about six years after diagnosis. It occurs in adults over 30 years of age and is about twice as common in males as females. It most commonly affects either the lower or upper end of the spinal column.

For some bone cancer patients, treatments can be very successful and they can keep the tumour under control for many months and sometimes for years.So lots of people with incurable bone cancer are still able to lead normal lives for long periods of time.

Only when the bone cancer or for that matter any type of cancer, finally fails to respond to all treatments does someone enter the 'terminal' stage of their illness. Although there are no precise definitions for when a person becomes 'terminal' the word is usually used to describe the last few weeks, or months, of life.

A lot of men and women who have incurable bone cancer will live for a long time before their bone cancer becomes terminal.  With some slow growing bone cancers, especially in older people, it may be possible to have a normal life expectancy and die of another illness rather than of cancer.This analysis implies for almost all types of cancers.