Epidemiology

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary cancer of the bone, but it is still a relatively rare disease.[3] Bone and joint cancers only account for 0.2% of all new cancer cases in the US between 2014 and 2020. NIH, SEER: Cancer stat facts: bone and joint cancer Opens in new window 

Approximately 3970 new cases of osteosarcoma have been diagnosed in the US in 2024 (2270 in males and 1700 in females). American Cancer Society: key statistics about bone cancer Opens in new window Two peaks in primary osteosarcoma incidence have been identified, the first in children and adolescents 10-24 years old, and the second peak in the elderly between 80 and 84 years old, with the peak in the older population being exclusively male.[3] 

Across all age groups in the US, osteosarcoma is more common in males than females for each race/ethnicity (male incidence rate [IR] 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5 to 3.80 vs. female IR 3.0, 95% CI 2.9 to 3.1), with the highest incidence rates being reported among black and hispanic populations (for all age cases: black population, IR, 4.1; 95% CI, 3.8 to 4.4, hispanic population, IR, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.2 to 3.6).[3] 

A bimodal peak in incidence of osteosarcoma is reported worldwide, although there is some variation in comparison to the US data, as the first peak is reported in the 10-19 age group, and the second is 60-79 years.[4] Only a small difference of incidence has been reported between regions, including Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Caribbean, Central America, South America, North America, Eastern Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, and Oceania.[4]

Globally, a higher incidence rate for osteosarcoma has been observed among the tallest populations, including those in The Netherlands, Iceland, Slovakia, and Czech Republic, and those with a genetically inferred higher birthweight.[5][6][7]

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