How is osteosarcoma formed?

Written by Zhang Ying Peng

Orthopedics

Updated on April 28, 2025

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The causes of osteosarcoma are not yet definitively determined, but it is generally believed to be closely related to trauma, genetics, and living environment. Osteosarcoma typically occurs in adolescents and is a highly malignant disease. If not treated promptly, it can lead to death within three to six months. After the diagnosis of osteosarcoma, amputation through surgery is the only effective treatment method. Amputation may extend the patient's survival period, but there is a high risk of recurrence, which can lead to death.

Other Voices

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Written by Guan Yu Hua

Orthopedic Surgery

1min 14sec

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During the treatment of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor of the bone, primarily presenting with pain, elevated skin ridges, and bulging veins. Radiological examination often reveals bone abnormalities, such as Codman's triangle and periosteal reactions due to sun exposure. If there is no metastasis in the early stages, limb amputation surgery can be performed, as well as limb-sparing surgeries involving devitalization and reimplantation or prosthetic implantation. Post-operative treatment involves high-dose chemotherapy, which can inhibit the growth of the bone tumor and extend the patient's survival time. There is a high probability of lung metastasis occurring in the early stages of the disease. If metastasis occurs, the survival time may be significantly reduced. Early diagnosis of this disease is crucial, and it must be treated with chemotherapy as early as possible. With the rapid development of chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate for osteosarcoma can increase to over 50%. Thus, early detection, early treatment, early surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy are essential to prolong the patient's survival time.

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Written by Na Hong Wei

Orthopedics

1min 9sec

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Can osteosarcoma be detected by X-ray?

Osteosarcoma can be detected with an X-ray, which is a very important method for diagnosing osteosarcoma. Since osteosarcoma typically comes in three types—osteoblastic, osteolytic, and mixed—the appearances on the X-rays are generally different. Osteolytic osteosarcoma mainly involves bone destruction, osteoblastic is characterized by bone regeneration, and the mixed type has both bone destruction and regeneration. Secondly, osteosarcoma primarily erodes the bone quality, and the periosteal reaction is very apparent. Typical osteosarcomas often show signs like Codman's triangle or the sunburst appearance. Therefore, if symptoms such as redness and increased temperature of the skin, along with a bony lump, occur around the distal femur, proximal tibia, or proximal humerus, it is best to first go to the hospital for an X-ray. X-rays are currently the most economical and necessary diagnostic tool for osteosarcoma.

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Written by Na Hong Wei

Orthopedics

1min 28sec

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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

48sec

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Is chondrosarcoma cancer?

Chondrosarcoma is broadly cancer, but in medical terms, we wouldn’t necessarily phrase it that way; we simply describe chondrosarcoma as a type of malignant tumor, and currently, its treatment outcomes are not very good. Generally, when we talk about cancer, we’re referring to malignant tumors that originate from epithelial tissue, including cancers like stomach cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer, which all derive from epithelial tissues. However, because chondrosarcoma originates from mesenchymal tissue, which includes muscle, cartilage, blood vessels, and nerves, malignant tumors that occur in these areas are usually called sarcomas. Sarcomas are definitely malignant, but to strictly call them cancer is not particularly precise.

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Written by Li Xin

Pediatric Orthopedics

47sec

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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.