What is the meaning of osteosarcoma?

Listen to pronunciation. (OS-tee-oh-sar-KOH-muh) A cancer of the bone that usually affects the large bones of the arm or leg. It occurs most commonly in young people and affects more males than females.

What type of cancer is osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that usually develops in the osteoblast cells that form bone. It happens most often in children, adolescents, and young adults. Approximately 800 new cases of osteosarcoma are reported each year in the U.S. Of these cases, about 400 are in children and teens.

What is Fibroblastic osteosarcoma?

Approximately 25% of osteosarcomas consist predominantly of spindle tumor cells and can be classified as fibroblastic osteosarcoma. Osteoid production is minimal and seen focally; although in this case, osteoid matrix was readily found. Fibroblastic osteosarcomas are highly vascular and may resemble hemangiopericytoma.

What is a characteristic of osteosarcoma?

The characteristic radiological features are sun-burst appearance, periosteal lifting with formation of Codman’s triangle [Figure 2], new bone formation in the soft tissues along with permeative pattern of destruction of bone and other features for specific types of osteosarcoma.

How aggressive is osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma is a disease primarily of adolescents and young adults, although it can occur in older individuals. In older individuals it can frequently be linked to Paget’s disease, fibrous dysplasia or radiation exposure. In younger individuals it is virtually always high grade and is a highly aggressive tumor.

How curable is osteosarcoma?

Today, about 3 out of 4 people who have osteosarcoma can be cured if the cancer hasn’t spread to other parts of the body. Almost everyone who is treated with limb-sparing surgery ends up with that arm or leg working well. Many people who have osteosarcoma will need physical therapy for several months after surgery.

How is osteosarcoma formed?

Most osteosarcomas are not caused by inherited gene mutations, but instead are the result of gene changes acquired during the person’s lifetime. Sometimes these gene changes are caused by radiation therapy used to treat another form of cancer, because radiation can damage the DNA inside cells.

Where does osteosarcoma in dogs spread to?

Natural History of Canine Osteosarcoma The disease is highly metastatic, with distant spread mostly to lungs and other sites in bone. Osteosarcoma can also metastasize to lymph nodes and intra-abdominal organs.

Is osteosarcoma serious?

Complications of osteosarcoma and its treatment include: Cancer that spreads (metastasizes). Osteosarcoma can spread from where it started to other areas, making treatment and recovery more difficult. Osteosarcoma that spreads most often spreads to the lungs and to other bones.

What kind of tumor is a periosteal osteosarcoma?

Periosteal osteosarcoma is primarily a chondroblastic tumor (composed mostly of cartilaginous tissue) that produces osteoid or bone. It has a predilection for the diaphysis of long bones particularly the tibia. Periosteal osteosarcomas are intermediate grade tumors as compared to conventional (most common type) osteosarcomas that are high grade.

Why is a bone cancer called an osteosarcoma?

An osteosarcoma is so called, because it is a cancerous tumor that is derived from a mesenchymal stem cell precursor (thus, by definition a sarcoma). The malignant cells produce immature woven bone, or osteoid, which is why the tumor is named osteosarcoma–it is a bone-producing sarcoma.

How old do you have to be to have periosteal osteosarcoma?

It affects a slightly older age group (10-20 years) cf. conventional osteosarcoma. Periosteal osteosarcoma arise from the inner germinative layer of periosteum.

What is the grade of an osteosarcoma tumor?

Based on how the cells look under the microscope, osteosarcomas can be classified as high grade, intermediate grade, or low grade. The grade of the tumor tells doctors how likely it is that the cancer will grow and spread to other parts of the body.