Do benign osteomas require surgery?

Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
Updated on June 29, 2025
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Does a benign osteosarcoma require surgery? First, it needs to be clarified that there is no such thing as a benign osteosarcoma; osteosarcomas are definitely malignant and their degree of malignancy is relatively high. According to the Enneking staging, they are classified as Stage IIB and are highly prone to distant metastases, such as lung and brain metastases. Therefore, if osteosarcoma is described as benign, the first point is that it is a diagnostic error—it is not osteosarcoma; the second point is a misunderstanding, as osteosarcoma only has malignant forms. Additionally, how should osteosarcoma be treated? Currently, there is a treatment called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which involves 6-8 sessions of chemotherapy before surgery. After the symptoms subside and the tumor size reduces, the specific circumstances of the patient determine whether conservative or timely treatment is chosen, followed by continued chemotherapy after surgery. This approach helps significantly improve the five-year and ten-year survival rates of osteosarcoma patients. Therefore, it is important to note two points: first, osteosarcoma is not benign but malignant; second, the current treatment for osteosarcoma mainly revolves around surgical combined treatment methods.

Other Voices

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Characteristics of bone metastasis in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma, when it metastasizes to the bone, is very complex to treat. Surgery cannot fully excise the metastasized bone tissue. Currently, clinical treatments mainly involve a comprehensive approach using radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine. Most osteosarcomas show improvement in symptoms and an increase in patients' quality of life after radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. However, these treatments have their complications. For instance, while killing tumor cells, they can also damage normal cells, resulting in a decreased immune response and various related complications. Ultimately, this might lead to the cessation of radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments. Therefore, current treatments for bone metastases from osteosarcoma involve using radiotherapy and chemotherapy in conjunction with traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine may enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy while also reducing their toxicity. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Is osteosarcoma highly malignant?

First of all, it is certain that osteosarcoma is very malignant. Once osteosarcoma is detected, it is necessary to actively prepare for surgery, rule out surgical contraindications, and then proceed with surgical treatment. During the surgery, efforts should be made to perform an extended resection, and if necessary, amputation may be required. After the surgery, the excised specimen must be sent for pathological examination to determine the pathological type. Then, based on the examination results, effective radiotherapy and chemotherapy should be chosen to control the possibility of recurrence or metastasis of osteosarcoma and to extend the patient's life as much as possible.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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What tests are done to diagnose osteosarcoma?

The most accurate diagnostic method for osteosarcoma is biopsy, where live tissue is extracted and sent for pathological examination. The positive rate of this method can reach over 90%. Besides biopsy, there are several other methods to examine such conditions. For example, X-rays can be taken to observe significant damage to the bone structure. Secondly, CT scans and MRI can be used to determine whether the bone tumor has infiltrated surrounding tissues. MRI can also detect if there are metastases to organs outside the lungs. The third method is radionuclide bone scanning, which primarily aims to check for distant metastases of osteosarcoma.

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Written by Li Xin
Pediatric Orthopedics
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osteosarcoma X-ray presentation

The variations in the X-ray appearance of osteosarcoma are quite large, but the basic characteristics are a mix of osteolytic destruction and pure bony changes. In most cases, besides the mixed changes, there is also destruction of the bone cortex and invasion of soft tissues, with visible periosteal reaction. The epiphysis has a certain blocking effect on the tumor, hence it rarely crosses the epiphyseal line. On the X-ray, changes indicative of skip metastasis can be seen, along with typical Codman's triangle or sunburst patterns. Beneath the periosteum, there are fine, needle-like sunburst radiating changes, which are fairly typical radiographic changes of osteosarcoma and are generally used to diagnose the condition.

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Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
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Is a fracture in osteosarcoma very dangerous?

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor of the bone, commonly found in adolescents and young adults, primarily occurring near the proximal tibia, distal femur, and proximal humerus, mostly at the metaphyseal ends. The tumor itself can lead to bone destruction and periosteal reactions. Pathological fractures may occur, which are frequently observed clinically. If a fracture occurs, radiographic examination can generally detect it, often showing a Codman's triangle or sunburst pattern. Early detection and treatment are crucial. Once a pathological fracture is observed, it typically indicates a middle to late stage of the disease, with a particularly high likelihood of lung metastasis. The situation with just a pathological fracture is quite severe, and unlike other fractures that might be managed with steel plates or intramedullary pins, treatment here is conservative, possibly requiring amputation, though limb-sparing approaches may also be necessary. Detecting the condition early, before distant metastasis, and combining treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, can result in a five-year survival rate above 50%. The threat posed by pathological fractures alone is significant, and amputation may be necessary, with chemotherapy likely required post-surgery.