Has the Scottish Managed Clinical Network for Sarcoma influenced the survival outcomes for primary malignant bone tumours?

Primary malignant bone tumours (PMBT) are rare. We have reviewed patient outcomes in Scotland over a 20 year period and provided an update on the principles of current management strategies for the non-specialist practitioner. The Scottish Managed Clinical Network for Sarcoma (MCN) connects the three main management centres for sarcoma in Scotland: Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Prior to the formation of the MCN, all centres were connected via the Scottish Bone Tumour Registry (SBTR), where they would meet on a quarterly basis and all the bone/soft tissue tumour cases were discussed retrospectively. The MCN was introduced in 2006. Our primary aims were to assess the impact of the MCN on patient outcomes and to update clinicians on the recognition, assessment and staging of PMBT. A secondary aim was to compare results from the Scottish centres with other UK sites. The patient information was gathered from the Scottish Bone Tumour Registry, held at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. All patients with diagnoses of Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma between 1994 and 2014 were included. Results showed that there was no significant change in outcome following the formation of the Scottish Managed Clinical Network for Sarcoma, and that there were little differences in outcome amongst the three major management centres in Scotland. Findings also show Scotland to have similar outcomes to that of the rest of the UK following diagnosis of a primary malignant bone tumour.