Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a cancerous (malignant) bone tumor that usually develops during the period
of rapid growth that occurs in adolescence, as a teenager matures into an adult.

Causes:

Osteosarcoma is the most common cancerous (malignant) bone tumor in youth. The average
age at diagnosis is 15. Boys and girls have a similar incidence of this tumor until late
adolescence, at which time boys are more commonly affected. There is another peak in
incidence among adults in their 60s and 70s.

The cause is not known. In some cases, osteosarcoma runs in families. At least one gene has
been linked to an increased risk. This gene is also associated with familial retinoblastoma, a
cancer of the eye that occurs in children.

Osteosarcoma tends to occur in the bones of the:

• Shin (near the knee)

• Thigh (near the knee)
• Upper arm (near the shoulder)

This cancer occurs most commonly in larger bones and in the area of bone with the fastest
growth rate. Osteosarcoma can occur in any bone, however.

Symptoms:

• Bone fracture (may occur after what seems like a routine movement)
• Bone pain
• Limitation of motion
• Limping (if the tumor is in the leg)
• Pain when lifting (if the tumor is in the arm)
• Tenderness, swelling, or redness at the site of the tumor

Exams and Tests

• Biopsy (at time of surgery for diagnosis)

• Blood tests
• Bone scan to see if the cancer has spread to other bones
• CT scan of the chest to see if the cancer has spread to the lungs
• CT scan of the affected area
• X-ray of the affected area
Treatment

Treatment usually starts after a biopsy of the tumor is done.

Before major surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy is usually given. This can shrink
the tumopr and it makes surgery easier. It also may kill any cancer cells that have spread to
other parts of the body.

Common chemotherapy medicines include:

• Cisplatin
• Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
• Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
• Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
• High-dose methotrexate with leucovorin
• Ifosfamide (Ifex)

Surgery is used after chemotherapy to remove any remaining tumor. In most cases, surgery
can remove the tumor while saving the affected limb (this is called limb-salvage surgery).
Rarely, more radical surgery (such as amputation) may be necessary.
Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a rare, cancerous tumor of a part of the eye called the retina

Tumor

A tumor is an abnormal growth of body tissue. Tumors can be cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous
(benign)