Primary bone tumours in the elderly population are relatively rare.

We reviewed the Leeds regional bone tumour registry between 1990–1999 and found them to constitute only 43 of the 341 (12%) bone tumour cases.

Malignant tumours (65%) were more common than benign tumours with primary tumours accounting 92 % and metastatic tumours only 8 % of all the malignancies. Females were more affected than males (55% versus 45 %).

Chondrosarcoma was the most frequent tumour, constituting 24% of primary malignant tumours and 18 % of all bone tumours.

Chondroma was the most common benign tumour accounting for 50% of all benign tumours, and 11% of all tumours.

Survival rate was relatively poor in elderly population with primary malignant tumours.

The majority of malignant tumours were in the lower limb (femur 25%, tibia 14 %).The upper limb accounted for 14% and the axial skeleton 5%.

Bone tumour registries provide a valuable source of cumulative information about both common and uncommon tumours. Such information could not easily be gathered by personal experience. It is also a very good source of information for research education and service.

Bone tumours are not common in the bones of the feet. We reviewed 10 years of referrals to the Leeds regional bone tumour registry between 1990 and 1999 which revealed twenty such tumours accounting for 5% of the total number of 341 bone tumours.

The mean age of the patients was 32 years (range 2 yrs to 80 yrs).

Men were affected more commonly than women (60% versus 40%).

40% affected the tarsal bones, 25% affected the hind foot, and 35 % affected the small tubular bones of the foot.

80% of tumours were benign. Malignant tumours accounted for only 20 % of all foot tumours and of these, 95% were primary tumours and only 5 % were metastases. Malignant tumours were found more frequently in the older population mean age (50 years).

Bone tumour registries offer a reliable source of data to study rare neoplasms in a large population group.