There are two types of bone cancer, primary and secondary. Primary bone cancer occurs when the cancer originates in your bones, while secondary (metastatic) bone cancer refers to cancer that has spread to the bone from another part of the body. There are over 30 different types of primary bone cancer. If the bone cancer is secondary, it is important for doctors to find out where it originated from. The most common types of cancer to spread are breast, lung, kidney, prostate and thyroid.
Primary bone cancer is rare. Only 255 Australians were diagnosed with primary bone cancer in 2015. Secondary bone cancer is more common.