Osteosarcoma by the Numbers

Incidence, survival, research investment, and the funding gaps that define this disease · in one sourced brief.

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The 2026 data, sourced and cited. Delivered to your inbox.

What's inside

The disease at a glance · incidence, bimodal age distribution, and where tumors typically arise.
Survival by stage · localized vs. metastatic disease, and why the numbers have not moved in over four decades.
The research gap, quantified from a 2026 analysis of 864 interventional osteosarcoma trials.
The funding equation · how the ~4% pediatric-cancer share of federal research dollars breaks down further for rare subtypes.
The 2026 inflection point: the Break Through Cancer TeamLab, comparative oncology, and the new drug classes under investigation.

The data behind it

~1,000

new U.S. cases per year

60–70%

5-year survival · localized disease

<30%

5-year survival · metastatic disease

~4%

of U.S. federal cancer research funding is pediatric

Sources: American Cancer Society (2025) · Ge et al., Frontiers in Immunology (2026), doi:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1790067 · EURAMOS-1 cohort (Smeland et al., 2019).

Frequently asked questions

What is the survival rate for osteosarcoma?

Five-year survival is roughly 60–70% for localized disease and under 30% once the disease has metastasized. These figures have not materially improved in over four decades. Full sourcing is in the brief.

How common is osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma is rare: about 1,000 new U.S. cases a year, roughly 2–3% of childhood cancers, with a peak incidence between ages 10 and 24.

Why is osteosarcoma research underfunded?

Pediatric cancers receive roughly 4% of U.S. federal cancer research funding, and rare subtypes like osteosarcoma compete for a fraction of that. The brief lays out the full funding equation.

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See the donor's guide to childhood cancer research to understand what different funding levels actually buy in this pipeline.

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