Primary bone tumours of the shoulder: an audit of the Leeds Regional Bone Tumour Registry.

An audit of the prospectively gathered data of the Leeds Regional Bone Tumour Registry found that primary bone tumours of the shoulder constituted 145 of 2039 cases (7%). Seventy-five per cent of these occurred in the proximal humerus, 20% in the scapula and 5% in the outer half of the clavicle. Malignant and benign tumours were of equal overall frequency (73 vs 72) but the malignant lesions tended to occur in an older population (mean ages 43 years and 17 years respectively). Simple bone cyst was the commonest diagnosis in children, chondrosarcoma in the middle age group and osteosarcoma in the over-60s. Presenting symptoms were a poor guide to whether the lesion was malignant or not and the correct preoperative diagnosis was made only in a minority of cases. In 134 cases the diagnosis made by the referring pathologist was confirmed by the Bone Tumour Registry but in 11 cases, the diagnosis was changed by the Tumour Registry and differed with important clinical implications. Bone tumour registries provide a valuable source of cumulative information about uncommon tumours and facilitate accurate diagnosis, teaching and research.