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Bone Cancer Awareness Month: FAQs about bone cancer, sarcomas & bone tumours

July is International Bone Cancer and Sarcoma Awareness Month. By supporting Australian Cancer Research Foundation, you help fund cutting-edge research into all types of cancer, including Bone Cancer. We would like to take this opportunity to answer some frequently asked questions about this type of cancer. 

What is bone cancer awareness month?

Bone Cancer Awareness month is an opportunity to bring public awareness to Bone Cancer and stand in solidarity with those who will be impacted by this disease. It is also a time to give our sincere thanks to all those working tirelessly on better ways to prevent, detect and treat Bone Cancer.

What is bone cancer? 

Bone Cancer begins when bone cells multiply unusually and rapidly and begin to break down the bone. Bone Cancer cells can also break away from the bone and travel to other bones, or other organs in the body when they can continue to grow as secondary tumours.

Primary Bone Cancer is very rare. More often, people with cancer in their bones have a secondary cancer from somewhere else in the body. When the secondary cancer starts to grow within the bone, it still represents the original cell type (ie. a breast cancer cell, or a lung cancer cell for example), and is best treated as such.

While any cancer type can spread to the bone, the most common are breast, lung, kidney, thyroid, and prostate. Bone metastases most often arise in the hip, thighbone, shoulder, and spine.

The most common form of Bone Cancer is known as Osteosarcoma, which is most commonly diagnosed in teenagers. 

When is Bone Cancer Awareness Month? 

Bone Cancer Awareness Month is held annually in July. It is marked across the world to raise both awareness and funds for bone cancer.

What colour ribbon is for Bone Cancer Awareness Month?

The official ribbon colour for Bone Cancer Awareness Month is yellow.

Why not host a yellow themed Cuppa for Cancer to raise funds for Bone Cancer Research? Or even a yellow gala ball to help bring us closer to a world without cancer? There are so many ways to get involved in fundraising for cancer awareness. Check out our list of socially distanced cancer fundraising ideas.

How ACRF is helping research into bone cancer 

Made possible only by the generosity of our amazing supporters, ACRF have funded a number of world-class projects into bone cancers.

These include the creation and expansion of the ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, and the ACRF Comprehensive Cancer Genomics Facility at the Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland.

If you would like to support more Bone Cancer research projects such as these, you can donate here. We’re so thankful for your support.