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What is primary bone cancer?

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Cancer of the bone can be divided into primary bone cancer and secondary bone cancer.

Primary bone cancer means that the cancer started (originated) from cells in the hard bone tissue. Primary bone cancer is a rare type of cancer. Only a few hundred cases of primary bone cancer occur each year in the UK.
Secondary (metastatic) bone cancer means that a cancer which started in another part of the body has spread to a bone. Many types of cancer can spread to the bone. Most commonly, cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, kidney and thyroid. Secondary bone cancer is common. The behaviour, treatment and outlook of secondary bone cancers is often quite different to primary bone cancer.
Cancers of blood cells that originate in the bone marrow are not classified as bone cancers.

For example, leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

The rest of this leaflet is only about primary bone cancer.
See the separate leaflets for other types of cancer which may spread to one or more bones, and for information about leukaemias, lymphomas and myeloma.