Osteosarkom

Abstract

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumour. This tumour occurs mostly in adolescence and in young adults. With nowaday therapy standards, the long term survival rate is about 70 % in patients with localized extremity disease and about 20-30 % in patients with primary metastatic disease or with axial disease. Diagnostics is settled on imaging methods (X-ray, CT, MRI, PET-CT), clinical findings and biopsy. The main point in local treatment is radical resection of the tumour. Modular endoprosthesis are today used for replacement of resected bone, individual endoprosthesis or allografts are used less. Four standard chemotherapeutics are fundamentally long term systemic therapy of osteosarcomas: high-dosed methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin and ifosfamide. Using other additional drugs doesn't improve the results of systemic therapy up to this day. The follow up is based on clinical investigation, X- ray and chest CT. The frequency of follow up intervals and validity of chest X-ray in comparsion to CT is a matter of discussion.