Osteosarcoma Overview and Diagnosis

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Questions and Answers

Primary osteosarcomas typically occur in older adults aged 50 and above.

False (B)

Secondary osteosarcomas can arise from existing bone conditions like Paget disease and osteochondroma.

True (A)

Pain on movement and fever are typical clinical presentations of osteosarcoma.

True (A)

The MRI scan is unnecessary for staging osteosarcoma.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Parosteal osteosarcoma has a higher grade and typically affects younger children aged 5-10.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Primary osteosarcoma

A type of bone cancer that develops in young people, often near the knee joint, characterized by rapid growth and aggressive spread.

Secondary osteosarcoma

A type of bone cancer that arises from a pre-existing bone abnormality, such as Paget's disease or a bone infarct.

Parosteal osteosarcoma

A subtype of osteosarcoma that grows along the surface of the bone, often with a stalk-like appearance.

Telangiectatic osteosarcoma

A subtype of osteosarcoma that is characterized by a very aggressive nature and a poor prognosis.

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Multicentric Osteosarcoma

A subtype of osteosarcoma that affects multiple bones simultaneously, leading to a very poor prognosis.

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Study Notes

Osteosarcoma Overview

  • Osteosarcoma is a bone-forming tumor, either primary or secondary.
  • Primary osteosarcomas occur in young patients or young adults, often around the knee joint (proximal tibia or distal femur).
  • Secondary osteosarcomas develop from pre-existing bone lesions.
  • Clinical presentation includes a painful mass, fever, and pain on movement.
  • Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) may be present in later stages.
  • X-ray shows poorly defined, aggressive lesions with sunburst periosteal reaction and a fluffy cloud-like osseous matrix.

Secondary Osteosarcoma

  • Secondary osteosarcomas arise from pre-existing bone conditions.
  • Examples of pre-existing conditions include Paget disease, bone infarcts, osteochondromas, osteoblastomas, and radiotherapy changes.

Diagnosis and Staging

  • Staging requires comprehensive imaging:
    • MRI of the entire affected bone (checks for synchronous lesions)
    • Nuclear medicine bone scan
    • CT chest
  • Biopsy should only occur at tertiary referral centers, where immediate tissue analysis with possible immediate amputation is possible to reduce the chance of seeding the biopsy tract.

Parosteal Osteosarcoma

  • Characterized by a thin, stalk-like attachment to the underlying bone.
  • Radiolucent plane may seem present, giving a "string sign" appearance, but a bone attachment exists.

Osteosarcoma Subtypes

  • Parosteal: Lower grade, affecting older patients (20-50s)
  • Telangiectatic: Lytic appearance, poor prognosis, fluid-fluid levels on imaging.
  • Multicentric: Poor prognosis, occurring in children aged 5-10.

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