Bone metastases from osteosarcoma

Bony metastases in patients with osteosarcoma are unusual and normally appear late in the course of the disease. We report our experience with eight such patients, four with solitary and four with multiple metastases.

Those with solitary metastases were treated as new tumours with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. Three remain alive with no evidence of disease at 5, 7 and 8 years follow-up respectively. Histology and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was similar in both the primary and metastatic lesions and is a predictive factor of outcome.

Those with multiple metastases were treated by palliative measures, and none survived. We conclude that resection of solitary metastases from osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be curative.

CITATION  Int Orthop. 2003;27(2):117-20.  doi: 10.1007/s00264-002-0407-8.  Epub 2002 Oct 12.