Referrals
Anyone suspected of having a bone sarcoma should be referred for a plain x-ray via 2 week wait (adults) and within 48 hours (children and young people).
If the x-ray is suspicious, a referral to a specialist Bone Cancer Centre should be made again, via 2 week wait (adults) or 48 hours (children and young people).
If the x-ray is clear and symptoms persist, referral for further imaging, including MRI should be made.
Further details can be found in the 2015 NICE guidelines: Bone and soft tissue sarcoma - recognition and referral
Specialist Bone Cancer Centres
There are specialist Bone Cancer Centres around the UK and Ireland:
England
There are five Centres in England:
- Birmingham - The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital
- Newcastle - North of England Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Oswestry -The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS trust
- Oxford - Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust
- Stanmore - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
Links to referral processes are attached.
Wales
There are no specialist Centres in Wales, patients in Wales travel to Oswestry or Birmingham Centres.
Scotland
There are three Centres in Scotland:
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Aberdeen
More details regarding referrals in Scotland can be found on the Scottish Sarcoma Network website
Republic of Ireland
There are no specific Bone Cancer Centres in the Republic of Ireland. Patients are referred to specialist hospitals in Dublin or Cork for further tests or treatment
Northern Ireland
- Patients are seen in Belfast.
Please view our PDF file here for a full list of all the Centres or specialist hospitals in the UK and Ireland.
If you require more information on the specialist Bone Cancer Centres in the UK and Ireland please contact us.