Download Osteosarcoma

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Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that
forms in and around certain bones
Primarily called bone cancer
Found in people with extensive exposure to
radiation, either medically exposed or
accidentally
Osteosarcoma can occur in any bone, but
usually longer bones
Most commonly occurs in the upper leg, or
thigh bone, the upper arm or any other
large bones in the body including the
pelvis, shoulder, and the skull
Osteosarcoma is most frequently found
in either childhood or adolescence
(because it most commonly occurs
during a time of rapid bone growth)
 African-American children are more
susceptible
 Statistics show that being male increases
the risks of osteosarcoma
 Nearly half of all cases found in a year
are in children
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Diagnosing osteosarcoma can be
difficult because doctors will often
associate the pain with a sports injury
since this type of sarcoma occurs in
mostly young adults
 Genetics play a large role in whether a
person develops osteosarcoma.
 About 3-4% of children with
osteosarcoma carry mutations in certain
genes
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Osteosarcoma often
starts near the ends of
the long bones in the
legs, especially around
the knee. The arm
bone near the
shoulder is the next
most common place.
But it can start in other
bones, too, like the hip
bone (pelvis),
shoulder, or jaw
Before the 1980’s limb amputation was the
standard treatment for osteosarcoma
 A curative treatment for osteosarcoma
consists of surgery and chemotherapy
 Protocols state that the patient needs
preoperative and postoperative
chemotherapy to ensure a cure
 Surgery call limb-sparing surgery often
allows removal of the tumor while saving
the rest of the limb
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Localized means that the cancer has not
spread from where it originated. Metastatic
means that the cancer has spread from
where it originated
 People with multiple recurrences may be
cured as long as the recurrences are
respectable and not metastasized
 The survival rate of a relapse is very poor
being 20%
 It is usually very painful for people with a
relapse, so therapy is usually given get
through the pain physically and mentally
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The follow up interval is usually every six
weeks to three months one and two
years after the diagnoses, every two to
four months in years three and four,
every six months in years five to ten, and
every six to twelve months there after the
diagnoses
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Bielack, S., D. Carrie, and P.G. Casali. "Annals of Oncology." Osteosarcoma: ESMO
Clinical Recommendations for Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up. Web. 5 Nov.
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“Information About Bone Cancer: Osteosarcom.” Osteosarcoma.Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
<http://cancer.stanford.edu/bonecancer/bone/osteosar.html.>
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Nov. 2014.
<http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/detailedguide/osteosarcomakey-statistics>.
"What Are the Survival Rates for Osteosarcoma?" American Cancer Society. Web. 5
Nov. 2014.
<http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/detailedguide/osteosarcomasurvival-rates>.
"What Is Osteosarcoma?" American Cancer Society. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/overviewguide/osteosarcomaoverview-what-is-osteosarcoma>.