BACKGROUND

The objective of this report was to estimate long-term outcome and prognostic factors in children and adolescents with osteosarcoma. A large group of osteosarcoma patients were analyzed at our national oncology center.

PROCEDURE

To evaluate the efficacy of surgery and multiagent chemotherapy for treating osteosarcoma, we reviewed 122 cases (65 male, 57 female, mean age 13.8 ± 3.6 years) treated at the Second Department of Pediatrics in Budapest between 1988 and 2006. Demographic parameters, tumor-related and treatment-related variables, response, overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were analyzed.

RESULTS

The 5-year OS was 68% and 5-year EFS was 62%. OS of patients without metastasis was 79%, while OS with early metastasis was 17%. Survival of patients with amputation (n = 30) was not significantly different from patients with limb-salvage surgery (n = 82), but all patients without radical surgery died. Gender and histological classification had no prognostic significance. Patients with localized tumors in extremities had increased survival compared to patients with axial skeleton tumors (P = 0.013). Poor histological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (rate of survivor tumor cells >10%) was associated with decreased survival (P = 0.018). Patients under 14 years had better EFS than patients over 14 years (P = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that younger patients with localized osteosarcoma of the extremities who receive limb-salvage surgery and chemotherapy have an excellent survival.