Ewings sarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor and is a "small round blue cell" tumor.
The slide below shows malignant Ewings sarcoma cells:
This sarcoma was first described by James Ewing in the 1920s. He was the first Professor of Pathology at Cornell University. He co-founded the American Society for the Control of Cancer (now the American Cancer Society) and was responsible for the foundation of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre. He was also a leading early proponent of radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer.
Professor James Ewing as shown on the cover of Time magazine in 1931:
Incidence
Ewings sarcoma is the 2nd most common primary bone tumor in children (osteosarcomas slightly more frequent).
The etiology is unknown.
- 3% of all pediatric neoplasms.
- Incidence is about 2 per million children (under age 15) per year.
- The median age of onset is 14 years - usually occurs in teenage years (very rare under age 5 and adults over 30.
- The average age of onset is typically 3-4 years younger in girls, corresponding to their earlier onset of puberty.
- In Canada, between 2001 and 2005, 80 children were diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma between the ages of 0 and 14 years.
Table : Age of Onset of Ewings Sarcoma
| Age | Proportion of Ewings Sarcoma |
| Pubertal range | 40% |
| <10 years | 30% |
| >20 years | 5% |
- Male predominance with a male:female ratio of 1.5-2:1.
- Most patients under age 10 are female. Ewings is extremely rare in individuals of African and Chinese descent.
Table : Summary of Incidence of Ewings Sarcoma
| Incidence | 1-2 per million children |
| Proportion of Pediatric Neoplasms | 3% |
| Proportion of Primary Bone Tumors | 6-8% |
| Median Age of Onset | 14 yrs |
| Gender Bias | 1.5-2 : 1 (male predominance) |
| Racial Bias | Very rare in black and Chinese populations |
