Malignant bone tumors in KuwaitA 10-year clinicopathological study

Between 1995 and 2004, 142 malignant bone tumours comprising 76 primary and 66 secondary tumours were identified in the Pathology Department of Al-Sabah Hospital, Kuwait. Pathological fracture was the presenting sign in 35% of the cases. The mean incidence of primary tumours/year was 3.3 cases/million inhabitants. The primary tumours showed a male predilection and 42% occurred below the age of 20 years. The most frequent in the descending order of frequency were Ewing's sarcoma, multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The femur was the most common site for secondary tumours; more than half of the tumours with metastases at this site originated in the breast. The high frequency of Ewing's sarcoma is noteworthy and requires further investigation.