What happens when osteosarcoma spreads to the lungs?

If osteosarcoma spreads to the lungs, you might have surgery to remove the secondary cancer. Your cancer might be cured even if the cancer has spread when it is diagnosed. Occasionally it is possible to remove single bone secondaries with surgery.

What is pulmonary osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary sarcoma of the bone. Lung osteosarcoma metastases at diagnosis have a significantly poor prognosis, even when surgery plus chemotherapy are performed.

Where does osteosarcoma most commonly metastasize to?

A metastatic osteosarcoma has clearly spread to other parts of the body. Most often it spreads to the lungs, but it can also spread to other bones, the brain, or other organs.

How often does metastatic osteosarcoma spread to the lungs?

Metastatic osteosarcoma. Most often it spreads to the lungs, but it can also spread to other bones, the brain, or other organs. About 1 out of 5 osteosarcomas has spread at the time of diagnosis. These cancers are harder to treat, but some can be cured if the metastases can be removed by surgery.

How long do you live with metastatic osteosarcoma?

Chemotherapy for Metastatic Osteosarcoma. Approximately 53% of the patients lived 5 years or more after treatment and approximately 47% did not experience a recurrence of their cancer for 5 years or longer. Patients with fewer metastases in their lungs, or metastases in only one lung, lived longer after treatment.

How is surgery used to treat metastatic osteosarcoma?

As a generality, patients with metastatic osteosarcoma have the same primary surgery performed as patients with localized disease. It is important to gain local control in order to better treat metastatic disease. Every attempt is made to perform limb sparing surgery but this is not always possible.

How many metastases are there in pulmonary carcinoma?

However, a number of atypical features are commonly encountered. Some tumors have a predilection for innumerable small metastases ( miliary pattern ): Conversely, a pulmonary metastasis may be single. This is most frequently seen in colorectal carcinoma. Other primaries which often present with solitary metastases include 3: