Causes of bone cancer

Main causes of bone cancer

It's not known what causes most primary bone cancers.

Some types of bone cancers are more common in certain age groups.

For example:

• Ewing sarcoma is more common in children and teenagers, but it can also affect adults
• osteosarcoma often affects children and teenagers (10 to 19 years)
• chondrosarcoma tends to affect adults aged 30 to 60 years

You're also more likely to get bone cancer if:

• you've had radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment for cancer in the past, particularly during childhood
• you have an inherited condition like hereditary retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Werner syndrome
• you have another bone condition, such as Paget's disease of bone or a non-cancerous (benign) bone tumour