Primary and secondary osteosarcoma of the face: a rare childhood malignancy.

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma of the head and neck, especially primary forms, remains a rare and highly malignant tumor.

PATIENTS

This report describes two patients who developed an osteosarcoma of the face more than ten years after treatment for bilateral retinoblastoma. We also report a third patient who presented with a primary osteosarcoma of the right superior maxilla which is one of the rarest tumors encountered in childhood oncology.

CONCLUSIONS

The mainstay of therapy is surgical resection with negative margins. Careful, long-term follow-up of survivors of hereditary retinoblastoma is essential, especially for those given radiation therapy.