Osteosarcoma Jessica Davis

What is Osteosarcoma Osteosarcoma is a cancer most commonly found in long bones(often found around the knee) and it produces immature bones. Most that are diagnosed with this cancer are under the age of 25 and is thought to be found in males more often then females. Osteosarcoma ranges in severity, it can range from low grade tumors that can be surgically removed to high grade tumors that requires a vigorous treatment plan

Causes of Osteosarcoma Scientist haven’t discovered the cause of most cases of osteosarcoma although it may result from radiation exposure to an area of the body. It can also be related to specific genetic changes and diseases

Symptoms/Diagnosis Most do not feel sick, but some do complain of pain in the area affected. The pain is thought to be related to muscle soreness(growing pains), but does not go away. Most patients do not see the doctor unless there is damage to the area affected or the tumor weakens the bone so much that it causes a fracture( pathological fracture) An x-ray is more than often the first diagnostic test, which an experienced radiologist would recognize it as bone cancer Following the x-ray several other diagnostic steps will be taken, such as, an MRI of the entire bone where the primary tumor is located.

Diagnosis Con. A chest x-ray and CT scan of the chest used to detect lung metastases, a bone scan of the entire body to rule out distant spread of the cancer, a biopsy of the tumor to provide a definite diagnosis based on the characteristics of the tissue that the tumor is made up of, the biopsy will also show if the tumor is high grade(highly malignant) or low grade. There are two main types of biopsy, a needle aspiration and a surgical biopsy. The results of the biopsy can affect the treatment and outcome for a patient, therefore the biopsy should be planned by a surgeon experienced with sarcomas.

Treatment Most often treated with a combination of therapies that may be composed of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy Most patients with high grade tumors will have chemotherapy for 3 months before surgery. Then a surgeon will remove the tumor and a wide margin of healthy tissue around the tumor( purpose is to leave the area free of all disease). Most tumors can be removed safely while sparing the limb involved although sometimes it is necessary to amputate the limb to get rid of all the cancer cells. After surgery a pathologist will examine the necrosis rate(the percentage of tumor cells that are dead) to indicate how well the tumor is responding to the treatment and based off these results the patient will continue chemotherapy for about 6 months.

Prognosis Even though every patient is different the collective data can give a patient an idea of if they’re going to live. If treated properly patients that have high grade osteosarcoma in one location have a survival rate of 70%. Low grade patients have a higher survival rate than those with high grade tumors, and those who's cancer has metastasized throughout their body or if a patients tumor doesn’t respond to chemotherapy.