Getting diagnosed
It can be hard for GPs to decide who may have bone cancer and who might have another condition. Other bone conditions are more common and bone cancer is very rare.
For some symptoms, your doctor may ask you to wait to see if the symptoms get better or respond to treatment, such as antibiotics or painkillers. The important thing is to go back to your GP if you’re not getting better.
Your GP might arrange for you to have an x-ray if you have bone pain or other symptoms that could be caused by bone cancer. They are done in the outpatient department of the hospital.
Find out more about having an x-ray
There are guidelines for GPs to help them decide who needs a referral. These vary between the different UK nations. Your GP will use these guidelines as well as their own experience and judgement.
England and Wales have specific referral guidelines for bone cancer.
In Scotland the guidelines group adult bone cancers and soft tissue together.
Specialists in Northern Ireland are updating their bone cancer guidelines. We will add these when they are available.
Adults should have an urgent referral if your x-ray shows that you might have bone cancer.
If you are aged 24 years or under with unexplained bone swelling or pain, you should have an urgent x-ray within 2 days. Your GP should refer you to a specialist within 2 days if the results of your x-ray suggest you might have a bone cancer.
You should have an urgent referral to a specialist if you have a soft tissue lump and one or more of the following. The lump:
is getting bigger in size over weeks to months
is 5cm or more in size – unless you have had the lump for a long time
feels deep and is difficult to move around
feels hard or has uneven edges
has broken through the skin and is an open wound
is in an area where you have had another lump removed
is in an area where you have had before
You should have an urgent referral to a specialist if you have had:
an that shows you might have soft tissue sarcoma
an that shows you might have a bone cancer
Your GP should also consider referring you to a specialist if your x‑ray doesn’t show bone cancer but you have seen a GP two or more times about a lump or bone pain.
Your GP should arrange an x-ray if you have bone pain or tenderness which cannot be explained and:
has not gone away or is getting worse over 6 weeks or more
happens at night or when you are resting
is interfering with your daily life
You might also have blood tests.
Your GP might arrange for you to have an ultrasound if you have a soft tissue lump that could be cancer.
You should have a referral to the specialist team that look after the likely if your x-ray shows that you might have:
cancer that has spread to the bone
Scotland has separate guidelines for suspected cancer for children, teenagers and young adults. Your GP can discuss this with you in more detail.
Sometimes you might feel that your GP is not concerned enough about your symptoms. If you think they should be more concerned, print this page and the symptoms page. Ask your GP to explain why they don’t think you need a referral.
Contact your GP again if your symptoms don't get better or you notice any new or unusual symptoms.
If your GP has referred you, ask them when you should get your appointment. Contact them again if you don’t get one. Or some hospitals have a referral service you could try contacting if you know which hospital you are going to. Explain that you are waiting for an urgent suspected cancer referral.
Go to more information about an urgent referral, what to expect and questions to ask
Your hospital is working towards waiting time targets. For example, a target to find out whether you have cancer or not. And there are targets to start treatment if you are diagnosed with cancer. These are slightly different depending on where you live in the UK.
Find out about other cancer waiting times
Last reviewed: 11 Feb 2025
Next review due: 11 Feb 2028
Pain, swelling and problems moving around are the most common symptoms of bone cancer. But the symptoms of bone cancer can vary depending on the size of the cancer and where it is in the body. Find out more.
There are some things you can do to get the most out of your GP appointment. Find out more.
You usually have a number of tests to check for cancer that starts in the bones. This includes scans and having a sample of bone tissue taken (a biopsy). If the tests show that you have a cancer, you have more tests to find out more about your bone cancer.
We don’t know what causes most bone cancers. But there are some factors that may increase your risk of developing it. Find out what these may be.
Primary bone cancer starts in the cells of the bones. This is different from secondary or metastatic bone cancer, which spreads to the bones from elsewhere in the body.
Primary bone cancer is cancer that has started in any bone of your body.
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