Postoperative recurrence symptoms of osteosarcoma

Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
Updated on November 27, 2024
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Symptoms of recurrent osteosarcoma after surgery are generally consistent with the symptoms before the initial surgery. The main symptoms include: Firstly, localized pain, which is persistent, progressive, and does not alleviate, including pain that worsens at night. Secondly, localized swelling, which usually occurs around the surgical site if limb-sparing surgery was performed, or at the stump if amputation was done. Thirdly, the appearance of systemic cachexia and symptoms of metastasis. Systemic cachexia typically includes weight loss, anemia, fatigue, and loss of appetite. For osteosarcoma, metastasis primarily targets the lungs, where numerous cancerous shadows can be detected. Thus, the main recurrent symptoms of osteosarcoma after surgery include pain, swelling, and cachexia.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Osteosarcoma etiology

Currently, in clinical practice, the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma is not fully understood. However, it may be related to genetics, exposure to radioactive materials, and viral infections. It can also be secondary to other deformative osteitis, fibrous dysplasia, and some benign tumors transforming into malignant bone tumors. Osteosarcoma primarily occurs in the metaphysis of long bones. The tumor spreads along the marrow cavity, extending towards both the metaphysis of the long bones and the diaphysis of the bones. Once the tumor breaks through the bone shaft, it rapidly destroys the cortical bone, spreads under the periosteum, and invades the surrounding soft tissues outside the eardrum, damaging the surrounding muscles and soft tissues.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Can osteosarcoma be felt?

Osteosarcoma can be felt by touch, and its main clinical manifestations include persistent progressive pain, which intensifies at night. Secondly, there are local lumps, commonly located at the distal femur, proximal tibia, and proximal humerus, which are high incidence areas for osteosarcoma. In such cases, you don't even need to touch it; you can see it with the naked eye because the swelling is quite severe. Additionally, the surrounding skin may appear reddened and warm, and superficial veins may become prominently swollen, indicating that the skin over the affected area looks different from normal skin. Moreover, in the area affected by osteosarcoma, the bone may show a spindle-shaped enlargement, looking like a spindle-shaped lump, causing the joint area and the surrounding normal joints to be clearly abnormal. Therefore, in cases of obvious symptoms of osteosarcoma, not only can you see the tumor, but you can also feel it. However, patients often will not let you touch it, as touching can cause pain and even force the joint and surrounding muscles into a forced state. This forced condition helps alleviate pain in the joint and surrounding areas. Thus, osteosarcoma can indeed be felt by touch.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Osteosarcoma diagnostic methods

Osteosarcoma Diagnostic Methods: In clinical practice, once osteosarcoma is suspected in a patient, the diagnostic approach, as per the Chinese Cancer Treatment Guidelines, requires a combination of clinical symptoms, radiological data, and pathology. Only through the integration of these three elements can a definitive diagnosis of osteosarcoma be established. Reliance solely on pathology, or exclusively on radiologic examination or clinical examination, can lead to biased results. Given that immediate treatment is crucial upon the discovery of osteosarcoma, and considering the severe implications of treatment costs, patient suffering, and other related issues, it is vital that the diagnosis of osteosarcoma is error-free. To ensure absolute certainty, the approach should involve clinical symptoms supplemented by necessary auxiliary examinations such as X-rays and CT or MRI scans, followed by a diagnostic biopsy for pathological results. This comprehensive combination generally prevents the occurrence of missed or misdiagnoses in patients with osteosarcoma. Therefore, the confirmatory diagnosis of osteosarcoma should not rely solely on one type of examination but should combine clinical assessment with necessary imaging data and pathology to finalize the diagnosis process.

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Written by Peng Li Bo
Oncology
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The difference between sarcoma and osteosarcoma

The relationship between sarcoma and osteosarcoma is very simple; it is a relationship of containment where sarcoma includes osteosarcoma. Simply put, the concept of sarcoma is broader, and osteosarcoma is a subtype under it. Sarcoma itself also includes malignant tumors occurring in blood vessels, fat, nerves, and muscles, such as angiosarcoma, liposarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma, and, of course, osteosarcoma. However, both sarcoma and osteosarcoma are malignant tumors, and it's important to clarify this concept. Moreover, osteosarcoma is more common in young people.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Can osteosarcoma occur on the knee?

Can osteosarcomas grow on the knee? In fact, the locations where osteosarcomas commonly appear are indeed near the knee. There are mainly three common sites: the most prevalent is the distal end of the femur, the lower part of the thigh bone. The second most common site is the proximal end of the tibia. The third is the proximal end of the humerus. Therefore, osteosarcomas usually do grow near the knee. What are the symptoms of an osteosarcoma? The symptoms of osteosarcoma include, first, localized pain, which is a constant pain that persists, worsens, and does not alleviate, often causing night pain, and many patients do not feel pain during the day, only at night. The second symptom is a localized lump, generally spindle-shaped, with an increased skin temperature over the surface, and even distended veins due to the tumor restricting nearby joint movement. The third symptom is the appearance of cachexia or wasting syndrome throughout the body. The fourth point is that the growth of the osteosarcoma leads to erosion of the bone and eventually pathologic fractures. Thus, the likelihood of osteosarcomas appearing near the knee is very high, and many patients typically come to the hospital because of painful lumps near the knee, and then, after examination, the diagnosis is confirmed.