Epidemiological data for common bone sarcomas.

Very little epidemiological data regarding bone sarcomas from South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular are available. At the largest center for histopathology in Pakistan, we looked at three common bone sarcomas in our practice i.e. osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Our aim was to compile epidemiological data regarding age, gender and site distribution, and to correlate our findings with published western data in order to determine whether there were any significant differences in our population compared to the west. An overwhelming majority of osteosarcomas in our study occurred in the second and third decades of life; they were common in males; and femur, tibia and hip bone were the commonest bones involved accounting for an overwhelming majority of cases. The large majority of Ewing's Sarcomas in our study occurred in the first three decades of life; they were more common in males; vertebrae, tibia, femur and hip bone were the commonest sites. In our study, chondrosarcomas showed a wide range of age distribution and occurred quite commonly in the young. Except for the greater occurrence of chondrosarcoma in young patients; and comparatively less frequent involvement of upper limb bones, most of the bone sarcoma trends in our population appear to be similar to published western data.