Why is there a cough in osteosarcoma?

Written by Li Jie
Orthopedics
Updated on October 31, 2024
00:00
00:00

Osteosarcoma ranks second in the incidence of malignant tumors in the whole body's bones; its incidence is relatively high. It generally occurs in the long tubular bones, shafts, or epiphyseal areas of the limbs. Since the most common organ metastasis of osteosarcoma is to the lungs, if a patient with osteosarcoma develops a cough, it should be taken seriously, and it's recommended that the patient undergo a targeted examination such as a chest X-ray or a CT scan of the lungs to check for lung metastasis and any lesions on the lungs. However, there is no need to panic prematurely, as osteosarcoma patients might cough due to upper respiratory infections or lung infections, which doesn't necessarily indicate lung metastasis. Therefore, once a patient with osteosarcoma develops a cough, a targeted examination should suffice.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
39sec home-news-image

Does osteosarcoma spread through blood?

As far as we know, osteosarcoma is not transmitted through blood or infectious. If osteosarcoma had such infectious characteristics, it would be transmitted in the same way as AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases and would be classified as a contagious disease. However, there has been no notification or relevant guidelines to date indicating that osteosarcoma can be transmitted through blood. Therefore, normal contact with patients with osteosarcoma, or caring for patients with osteosarcoma, including sharing the same food or coming into contact with their blood, generally does not lead to the transmission or contraction of osteosarcoma.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
55sec home-news-image

Can osteosarcoma be detected by ultrasound?

Osteosarcomas are generally difficult to diagnose through ultrasound. The diagnosis of osteosarcoma mainly relies on the following methods. The first method is X-rays. X-rays can reveal a typical Codman's triangle appearing in the bone. The second method involves using CT and MRI to detect the extent of the tumor and to see if there is extensive infiltration around it. The third method is nuclear bone scanning. The main significance of nuclear bone scanning is to detect bone tumors early and to distinguish whether there has been any metastasis in the later stages. The fourth method is the gold standard, which is to perform a biopsy. However, this test is invasive, requiring the cutting of tissue from the osteosarcoma for pathological examination. Of course, this method provides the highest accuracy and positive rate.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 53sec home-news-image

How is osteosarcoma diagnosed?

Currently, the diagnosis of osteosarcoma in clinical settings primarily relies on a combination of clinical symptoms, imaging studies, and pathological findings. Clinically, osteosarcomas commonly occur in the distal femur, proximal tibia, and lower end of the humerus, manifesting as localized persistent pain, nocturnal pain, and swelling, often accompanied by superficial venous engorgement and increased skin temperature. Systemic symptoms of cachexia may appear, and even pathological fractures. Imaging is indispensable, revealing osteoblastic, osteolytic, or mixed osteolytic lesions, usually with a pronounced periosteal reaction, Codman's triangle (a common sign of malignancy), or sunburst patterns. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is very important for diagnosing bone tumors as it can indicate the tumor's boundaries and the extent of erosion. Additionally, PET-CT and radioactive isotope scanning are considered crucial for tumor diagnosis. Pathological examination is currently regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing osteosarcoma. This involves a biopsy, usually taking a small part of the tumor for examination from a molecular biology perspective. However, when performing a biopsy, it is important to note two things: first, it is preferable to take the biopsy intraoperatively; second, if there is no plan for systematic treatment of osteosarcoma, it is best not to proceed with a biopsy to avoid potentially accelerating the spread or even hastening metastasis. Therefore, the diagnosis of osteosarcoma must be approached with caution, requiring a combination of clinical symptoms, necessary auxiliary examinations, and pathological analysis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
55sec home-news-image

Osteosarcoma bone metastasis symptoms

The symptoms of osteosarcoma metastasis, osteosarcoma most commonly metastasizes to the lungs. If pulmonary metastasis occurs, there are at least two prominent characteristics. The first is that most metastatic tumors are located on the surface of the lungs and are rarely within the lung parenchyma, thus, they are not difficult to detect. The second point is that most metastatic tumors predominantly present as multiple bilateral lung metastases. Isolated unilateral lung metastasis is very rare. Therefore, this characteristic determines that osteosarcoma lung metastasis can only be managed with local wedge-shaped or segmental lung resections as the basic comfort measure. In fact, this simple surgical approach often allows for complete removal of the metastatic tumors while preserving most of the normal lung tissue.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
50sec home-news-image

How to alleviate the pain of osteosarcoma?

Pain in osteosarcoma patients is mostly caused by the cancer invading local bone tissue and other tissues, leading to pain, tenderness, and even sleeplessness. Therefore, the pain management follows a certain hierarchy, starting with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, followed by weak opioids, and finally strong opioids such as morphine. However, this only alleviates the pain and does not help with treatment. For early-stage osteosarcoma patients, pain management primarily involves surgery when necessary. For advanced-stage patients, it involves gradually increasing the dose of effective pain-relief medications to alleviate temporary pain. (Controlled drugs must be strictly used under the supervision of relevant physicians.)