Osteosarcoma is a type of malignant bone tumor that is more common in children, adolescents and young adults, with an increased risk of severe symptoms between the ages of 20 and 30. The most affected bones are the long bones of the legs and arms, but osteosarcoma can appear in any other bone in the body and metastasize easily, meaning the tumor can spread to another location.
Depending on the tumor’s growth rate, osteosarcoma can be classified as:
- The faster the growth.
- The more severe the symptoms and the more likely they are to spread to other parts of the body.
- Therefore.
- It is important that the diagnosis is made by the orthopedist as soon as possible by imaging tests.
Symptoms of osteosarcoma may vary from person to person, but in general, the main symptoms are:
Diagnosis of osteosarcoma should be made as soon as possible by the orthopedist, through additional laboratory and imaging tests, such as x-rays, TOMography, MRI, bone scan or PET. A bone biopsy should also always be performed if suspected.
The onset of osteosarcoma is usually related to genetic factors, there is an increased risk of developing the disease in people who have family members or who have genetic diseases, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Paget’s disease, hereditary retinoblastoma and osteogenesis imperfecta, for example.
Treatment of osteosarcoma involves a multidisciplinary team consisting of an oncology orthopedist, a clinical oncologist, a radiation therapist, a pathologist, a psychologist, a gpation, a pediatrician, and an intensive care physician.
There are several treatment protocols, including chemotherapy, followed by resection or amputation surgery and a new chemotherapy cycle, for example. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery varies depending on tumor location, aggressiveness, adjacent structure involvement, metastasis, and size.