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Osteosarcoma is a serious form of cancer that primarily affects teenagers aged 14 to 16, with 80% of cases occurring in and around the knee. Symptoms are usually mild at first, but early diagnosis through X-rays, MRI, and CT scans can improve survival rates. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer, with chemotherapy and surgery being common options. Anyone experiencing symptoms should seek medical advice, and parents should be vigilant with their adolescent children.
Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that grows inside the bones. It is often considered a childhood cancer because 65% of all cases occur in teenagers aged 14 to 16. Osteosarcoma is a serious form of cancer, and while treatment has improved, the survival rate is still alarming.
In about 80% of cases, osteosarcomas grow in and around the knee. Tumors are made up of the same tissue as bone, but are much weaker. Early diagnosis is rare, although there is some evidence of a connection between some forms of eye cancer in children, called retinoblastoma, and osteosarcoma. If the patient has had retinoblastoma, any symptoms that could indicate osteosarcoma, such as pain in the leg that gets worse at night, should be screened early for the presence of bone tumors.
In many cases, however, the cause of an osteosarcoma is not known. Symptoms, usually mild at first, such as leg pain, are quite common in all children. If the pain in your leg turns into lameness, or if the area around your leg feels swollen, not from a direct injury, you should see a doctor. Early diagnosis by X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT); along with the biopsy of any tumors found, it significantly improves the survival rate. Unfortunately, there is no test to screen patients at onset because symptoms are usually mild at onset.
The sooner this cancer is detected, the less chance there is of the cancer metastasizing and forming tumors in the lungs or other bones. Osteosarcoma, once diagnosed, is classified into stages. A localized osteosarcoma has not spread and affects only the bones and muscles it touches. Metastatic osteosarcoma has spread to other parts of the body. In over 75% of cases of metastatic osteosarcoma, the tumors develop in the lungs.
Numbers can also be assigned to phases. For example, stage one osteosarcoma is a small tumor without metastases. Stage two is larger cancer that has not yet metastasized. Stage three means the cancer has spread to other types of bone, and stage four means the cancer has spread to the lungs. Survival in stage four depends on whether or not lung tumors can be removed surgically.
Treatment of osteosarcoma depends on the stages. If stage one or stage two sarcoma is found, a cancer doctor will prescribe chemotherapy as the first step in an attempt to shrink the existing tumor and hopefully prevent metastases. If the tumor shrinks, an orthopedic surgeon removes it. In some cases, the only effective means of removal is amputation of the limb.
There are 3 cases of osteosarcoma for every 100,000 people. Of those affected, a third will die in the first year. Those less at risk will have stage one or stage two sarcomas. Therefore, anyone who notices symptoms like the ones listed above should seek the advice of their doctor. Parents should pay special attention to such symptoms in their adolescent children.
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