Primary osteogenic sarcoma: pathologic aspects in 20 patients after treatment with chemotherapy en bloc resection, and prosthetic bone replacement.

Twenty patients with osteogenic sarcoma of the distal portion of the femur and the proximal portion of the tibia received chemotherapy (vincristine sulfate, methotrexate with leucovorin calcium rescue, [citrovorum factor; folinade calcium], and doxorubicin hydrochloride [Adriamycin]), followed by radical en bloc resection and prosthetic bone replacement. Histologic examination of surgical specimens obtained after chemotherapy showed variable degrees of tumor destruction and, in some cases, massive tumor necrosis, attesting to the profound effects of vigorous chemotherapy. This new therapeutic regimen, when feasible, may prove to be the treatment of choice in osteogenic sarcoma.