Incidence of bone sarcoma in SW England, 1946-74, in relation to age, sex, tumour site and histology.

A study is presented of all cases of primary sarcoma of bone registered during the period 1946 to 1974 for a specified population resident in south-western England. Ninety-six per cent of the 365 cases were histologically and radiologically verified and are separated into 8 categories of sarcoma. The number of tumours presenting during each hemi-decade did not markedly diverge from the 5-year mean for the period, nor was any significant change found in tumour incidence during the last 20 years of the survey. The age, sex and site distributions correspond with those reported elsewhere. Age-specific incidence rates are compared with those published for Sweden. For osteosarcoma and Ewing's tumour, both commoner in young people, the two series agree closely up to age 55 years, after which the Swedish incidence rates rise and are not exceeded when, for the present cases, Paget's osteosarcomas are included. Whilst Paget's disease may change the age incidence of some types of bone sarcoma, it is uncertain whether it increases the total number which occur. Differences in tumour incidence between males and females, whether for a specific type or for all bone sarcomas, are seldom statistically significant, but the patterns appear to be consistent.