Incidence and age- and site-specific characteristics of osteosarcoma: a population-based study using National Cancer Registry 2016-2019.

Background: No previous reports have characterized national profiles of osteosarcoma. In this study, we examined nationwide statistics for osteosarcoma in Japan using data from the National Cancer Registry (NCR), a population-based cancer registry launched in 2016.

Methods: We identified 1187 patients with osteosarcomas entered in the NCR during 2016-2019 using the cancer topography and morphology codes from the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition. We extracted data on patient demographics (sex, age), tumor details (reason for diagnosis, tumor location, extent of disease), hospital volume and facility type, treatment, and prognosis for each patient.

Results: Osteosarcoma showed a slight male preponderance. Although osteosarcoma associated with Paget's disease of bone was extremely rare (0.2%), the age distribution had two peaks: in the second and the seventh to eighth decades of life, suggesting the bimodal age peaks in Japan result from the increasing proportion of the elderly population. Elderly osteosarcoma cases more commonly involved the axial skeleton including the craniofacial bones, pelvis, and spine and showed a lower frequency of localized disease at presentation. Furthermore, elderly patients were less likely to undergo intensive treatment involving chemotherapy and surgery, possibly leading to poorer survival outcomes associated with advanced age.

Conclusions: This is the first study to analyze NCR data and provides an overview of the epidemiology, clinical features, treatment, prognosis, and significant factors affecting prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma in Japan. We must document our data regarding elderly patients' outcomes so other countries showing similar population aging trends can learn from our experiences.

Level Of Evidence: Prognostic studies, Level III.