BACKGROUND: The incidence of surgery due to metastatic bone disease in the extremities (MBDex) and postoperative survival remain uninvestigated in the population. The aim of the current study was: to identify (1) incidence, demographics and survival of a population-based cohort of patients having surgery for MBDex (2) rate of referrals and referral pattern to a musculoskeletal tumour centre (MTC).

MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective study of a consecutive population-based cohort of patients having surgery for MBDex from 2014 to 2016. Patient demographics, indication for surgery, oncological status, and postoperative survival was obtained from patient interviews, surveillance scans and patient records.

RESULTS: We identified 164 patients treated for 175 bone lesions resulting in an incidence of MBDex surgery of 48.6 lesions/million inhabitants/year and a 10% risk of undergoing surgery for MBDex for every year liven with metastatic bone disease. The most common primary cancers were breast, lung, renal, prostate and myeloma. Twenty-nine lesions represented debut of cancer and 22 lesions debut of relapse of a previous cancer. Overall one-year survival was 41% (95% C.I.: 33%-48%). Fifty-nine percent of patients were referred for treatment at MTC. Patients referred had better prognostic baseline characteristic than patients treated at secondary surgical centres (SSC) (lower ASA score (p < .001), no visceral metastasis (p < .001), lower age (p < .001) and less aggressive primary cancer (p < .001)). The one-year probability of overall survival was higher for MTC patients compared to SSC patients (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Present study describes a prospective population-based cohort of patients having surgery for MBDex identifying incidence and postoperative survival. Referral of patient is biased by selection where 'long-term survivors' are referred for treatment at MTC. We can, however, not exclude that treatment centre influences chance of survival after surgery for MBDex although our study was not designed to identify any potential influence.