Osteosarcoma Metastatic Disease
Osteosarcoma is a form of bone cancer that typically affects the arms and legs. Metastatic osteosarcoma indicates the cancer has moved beyond the bones and into other areas such as the lungs, according to the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. Treatment and prognosis will depend on several factors.
Metastatic Osteosarcoma
The American Cancer Society indicates 85 percent of metastatic osteosarcomas spread to the lungs. Other less common sites include the brain, other bones and other organs.
Stages of Metastatic Osteosarcoma
Certain cancers, such as osteosarcoma, have substages within the four stages of cancer. Stage 4A cancers have spread to the lung. Stage 4B cancers have moved to the lymph nodes and distant sites or have spread to places other than the lung but with no lymph node involvement.
Treatment
Treatments for advanced osteosarcoma might include one or more of the following: surgery for tumors that can be removed from the bone and lung, and chemotherapy for up to one year.
Survival Rate
The survival rate for metastatic osteosarcomas where lung and bone tumors can be removed is 30 to 50 percent. Those with inoperable tumors have a worse prognosis. These numbers represent patients treated many years ago and might not be accurate for recently diagnosed patients.
Considerations for Prognosis
While the ability to remove the tumors is a key prognostic factor for metastatic osteosarcoma, other things can affect it as well. These include the grade of the tumors (how different they are from normal bone cells), patient's age, general health, if bones are still growing and if the patient is suffering metastatic disease as the original diagnosis or if the cancer has come back at Stage 4.
Tags: cancers have, have spread, Metastatic Disease, Metastatic Osteosarcoma, metastatic osteosarcomas