OsteosarcomaDarin Mehlhaf’s Senior Capstone

Experience

Where it is Found

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

Whom it is Found in

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

Diagnosing Osteosarcoma

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

(cont’d) 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

Treatment

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

Prognosis

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

Follow Up

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

Works Cited Bielack, S., D. Carrie, and P.G. Casali. "Annals of Oncology." Osteosarcoma: ESMO

Clinical Recommendations for Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/suppl_4/iv137.full>.

“Information About Bone Cancer: Osteosarcom.” Osteosarcoma.Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://cancer.stanford.edu/bonecancer/bone/osteosar.html.>

Longe, Jacqueline R. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=sdsl_menno&tabID=T003&searchId=

R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤t Position=2&contentSet=GALE|CX246>.

"Osteosarcoma." Osteosarcoma. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://www.stjude.org/osteosarcoma>.

"What Are the Key Statistics about Osteosarcoma?" American Cancer Society. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/detailedguide/osteosarcoma-key-statistics>.

"What Are the Survival Rates for Osteosarcoma?" American Cancer Society. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/detailedguide/osteosarcoma-survival-rates>.

"What Is Osteosarcoma?" American Cancer Society. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/osteosarcoma/overviewguide/osteosarcoma-overview-what-is-osteosarcoma>.