Bone Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Cancer, including details on symptoms, types, treatment.

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for osteosarcoma of the extremities: 27 year experience at Rizzoli Institute, Italy.

Bacci G, Longhi A, Fagioli F, Briccoli A, Versari M, Picci P

Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. gaetano.bacci@ior.it

Around 1148 patients with non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity were treated in a single institution between 1972 and 1999 with 4 different protocol of adjuvant and 7 different protocols of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The rate of limb salvage increased from 20% to 71%. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 57% and 66%, respectively. The 10-year EFS and OS were 52% and 57%, respectively, and the results significantly correlated with serum alkaline phosphatase levels; the type of chemotherapy (adjuvant vs neoadjuvant); and with histologic response to pre-operative treatment. Aggressive chemotherapy and surgery could cure about the 60% of patients with osteosarcoma of the extremity. However, since local or systemic relapses, myocardiopathies and a second malignancy are possible even 5 or more years since the beginning of treatment, a long-term follow-up is recommended.

Published 5 December 2005 in Eur J Cancer, 41(18): 2836-45.
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