Significance of Chemotherapy for Treatments on Osteosarcoma in Adult Patients

Abstract

We reviewed the outcome of osteosarcoma patients older than 30 years. Eight patients were treated in our department since 2001 to 2008. The median age of the group was 47 years (range: 30 to 67 years), and locations of the primary tumor was in the extremity in all patients. No patients presented metastatic lesion at the diagnosis. Six patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical treatments. Three patients had amputation and four patients had limb-salvage surgery. Histological evaluation of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy was grade 0 in three patients, grade 1 in two patients and grade 2 in one patient. Three patients developed lung metastases nine months after the surgery on average, and died of the disease. One case was alive with disease and four patients were disease free at average three years and five months of observation. The effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were found to relate to good prognosis, however, completion of the chemotherapy was difficult in most cases because of the poor general conditions or side effects.