Metastatic skeletal disease in the pediatric population.

We reviewed the autopsy, clinical, and radiographic records of 39 patients with metastatic skeletal disease (age range 18 months-20 years). There were 11 different primary tumors responsible for skeletal metastases, of which neuroblastoma was the most common (16 patients). Other commonly occurring tumors giving rise to secondary skeletal deposits were rhabdomyosarcoma (seven), teratoma-teratocarcinoma (four), and Wilms tumor (three). Overall patient survival ranged from 2 weeks to 72 months, with an average of 10.2 months. Those patients presenting without skeletal metastases at the time of diagnosis of the primary tumor had a survival time averaging 16.2 months (range 3-72 months), whereas those patients presenting initially with skeletal metastases at the time of diagnosis of the primary tumor had a survival time of 8.5 months (range 0.5-23 months).