The significance of calcified regional lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis of osteosarcoma.

The presence of lymph node metastases from osteosarcoma was rare at diagnosis, occurring in only four of 176 patients (2.3%) at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. An additional patient presented with calcified lymph nodes, which were demonstrated to contain no evidence of metastatic osteosarcoma. These patients did not differ in race, sex or age at diagnosis from other osteosarcoma patients. Each of the four patients with lymph node metastases of osteosarcoma had tumors composed predominantly of the osteoblastic type. Regional nodal metastases, whether alone or in conjunction with other metastatic disease were a poor prognostic factor. Despite aggressive therapy, median survival was 8 1/2 months from diagnosis, which did not differ significantly from the survival achieved by other osteosarcoma patients who had other hematogenous metastases.