Osteosarcoma Causes & Risks

Causes

The cause of primary bone cancer is unknown. Genetics play a major role in most cases. Conditions that cause increased bone breakdown and regeneration over an extended period of time increase the risk of tumor development. This explains why osteosarcoma in children is most common during the adolescent growth spurt.

Risk Factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition.

The following factors increase your chance of developing bone cancer:

Paget's disease (a noncancerous bone condition)
Exposure to radiation
Injury to a bone (not yet been confirmed as a risk factor)
Family history of bone cancer

In addition, the following are risk factors specific to certain types of bone cancer:

Osteosarcoma:
- Age: 10-30 years old
- Sex: male
- Inherited cancer syndromes, including Li-Fraumani and Rothmund-Thompson syndromes
- Retinoblastoma (a rare eye cancer)
- Bone marrow transplantation
Chondrosarcoma:
- Age: older than 20
- Multiple exostoses (an inherited condition that results in bumps on bones)
Ewing’s sarcoma:
- Age: younger than 30
Fibrosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma:
- Age: middle-aged and elderly
Giant cell tumor:
- Age: young and middle-aged

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