HILTON HEAD, S.C., May 12 (UPI) -- A rare type of bone cancer continues to claim the lives of the majority of people who are diagnosed with the disease. A new study of the rare disorder found that survival remains low.
The cancer, called mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, typically begins in the cartilage and spreads around the bone. It tends to strike mostly children and young adults. Its deadliness, like most aggressive cancers, can be attributed to its ability to grow fast and spread quickly.
Previous research has estimated the survival rate of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma at 20 percent. But a recent survey by health researchers at Loyola University Medical Center revealed slightly more hopeful numbers.
Among 205 cases of the rare disease, researchers found more than half (51 percent) of patients survived at least five years. Some 43 percent lived at least 10 years after diagnosis.
The location of the tumor, researchers found, heavily influenced the chance and length of survival. Growth around the spine and pelvis were often inoperable, whereas patients with tumors in the arms and legs could undergo surgery to remove the masses.
Researchers said improved imaging technologies and chemotherapy regimens may be responsible for the slightly improved survival odds.
The new findings are being presented this week at the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting, held in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
