What you have to prove
Meet listing via: (1) inoperable or unresectable; OR (2) recurrent despite prescribed treatment; OR (3) with metastases beyond regional lymph nodes.
Medical evidence SSA expects
Pathology, imaging (MRI, CT, bone scan, PET), operative records (limb-salvage or amputation), and oncology notes.
Common misconceptions
Bone metastases from other primary cancers aren't evaluated here — they fall under the primary cancer's listing. Primary bone sarcomas with distant spread typically qualify.
Didn't meet the listing? You can still qualify via a Medical-Vocational
Allowance — SSA's determination that your residual functional capacity, combined with
your age, education, and work history, leaves no jobs you can do. See our
appeals guide for what to do after an initial denial.