Bone metastasis

How big is the problem?

The population incidence of cancer is about 0.5%. This roughly translates to 27,000 patients in Singapore (with an assumed population of 5.4 million). It has been estimated that about 60% of patients with cancer will develop bone involvement. Hence, the estimated disease load projected by this condition could be up to 16,200 patients per year. About half to a third of this number can benefit from surgery in one form or another. The rest are managed by various combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and palliative procedures.