Practical Survey of Osteosarcoma Among Youth

Childhood osteosarcoma is a form of malignant bone cancer and the 6th most common form of cancer in children under the age of 15. The disease affects over 500 adults and 400 children every year, with a two-thirds survival rate.

Causes of Osteosarcoma

Regrettably, the primary causes of osteosarcoma are still a mystery. There are risk factors associated with the disease, but external contributors or causes are not known.

Osteosarcoma Symptoms and Side Effects

Typically, the most common side effect associated with osteosarcoma is pain, often emanating from the tumor location. Larger tumors, particularly those on the knees, can appear as swelling. In addition, because the affected bone is usually weaker, it's more susceptible to breaking.

The majority of childhood osteosarcoma cases develop around the knees.

Risk Factors

Age

The risk of osteosarcoma is highest during the teenage "growth spurt" period. Since children with osteosarcoma are often tall for their age, some researchers believe there may be relationship between rapid bone growth and the risk for developing the disease.

Gender of the Patient

Osteosarcoma typically occurs in males and is seen twice as frequently as in young women.

Exposure to Radiation

People who have undergone radiation treatment for other cancers have a higher risk of developing osteosarcoma.

Other Bone Diseases

Those with other non-cancerous bone diseases, such as Paget's disease of the bone or a family history of osteosarcoma, have an increased risk of later developing the malignancy, but usually as an adult.

Basic Genetics

Children with inherited and rare cancer syndromes, like retinoblastoma, are more prone to developing childhood osteosarcoma.

Different Types of Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is divided into three sub-types, each having a different appearance and long-term prognosis. The type of osteosarcoma is often determined by the presence of the cancer cells.

The three sub-types of osteosarcoma are high-grade, intermediate and low grade. High-grade is a conventional development of the disease characterized by small cell formation. Intermediate grade is periosteal, meaning the membrane around the bones is affected. Low grade is also periosteal, but also includes low grade intrasseous.

How Osteosarcoma is Treated

Osteosarcoma is sometimes treated with surgery - typically, the biopsy and surgical treatment of the disease are done by the same surgeon. The surgical treatment is either amputation of the affected limb or limb-sparing surgery.

Patients or the parents of patients should consult with their surgeon about the best method and how best to remove the cancer while saving as much use of the affected arm or leg as possible.

Despite the prevalence of surgery, most cases of childhood osteosarcoma are treated with chemotherapy in conjunction with surgery. There are a variety of drugs used in osteosarcoma chemotherapy programs, with each dose determined by the individual patient and disease.

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