How to prevent osteosarcoma

Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
Updated on May 25, 2025
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From the perspective of osteosarcoma itself, prevention should involve active exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and a regular schedule. All of these can play a preventive role. However, as of now, there is no clear cause of what triggers osteosarcoma, and it is still unknown. For patients with osteosarcoma, we need to achieve early diagnosis and early treatment. Since many osteosarcomas occur in adolescents, if your child complains of bone pain and feels lumps, and more severely, experiences joint functional impairment, parents must be vigilant. It is advised for the patient to go to a hospital and have an imaging test done to confirm if it is caused by osteosarcoma. Therefore, early diagnosis and early treatment are best.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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early symptoms of osteosarcoma

The early symptoms of osteosarcoma mainly include the following types: First, pain - patients will experience obvious pain in the affected limb. Second, lumps - lumps can be felt on the affected limb, accompanying significant tenderness. The growth rate of such lumps is directly related to your pathology and the course of your disease; the more severe your condition, the larger the lump. Third, limping - limping is caused by chronic pain in the affected limb. Over time, there may also be limited joint mobility and muscle atrophy in the affected limb. Fourth, symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and anemia may occur. Furthermore, in the middle and late stages of osteosarcoma, pathological fractures might occur.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Is there a cure for bone metastasis of osteosarcoma?

Is there any hope for osteosarcoma bone metastasis? If osteosarcoma develops bone metastasis, there is still hope for treatment. However, once metastasis occurs, the treatment costs, difficulty, and prognosis tend to be relatively unfavorable. Additionally, osteosarcoma itself invades and damages the bone. As the disease progresses, it stimulates osteogenesis which eventually leads to both bone formation and damage. Generally, the appearance of osteogenic changes often indicates a shift towards a better prognosis for the bone. Therefore, if osteosarcoma has metastasized, while treating the primary lesion of the tumor, it is also crucial to actively treat the metastatic sites. Thus, the difficulty of the treatment and the prognosis might not be very optimistic, but it certainly hasn't reached a point where the disease is untreatable. Therefore, once osteosarcoma metastasizes, it is recommended to visit the oncology department of a reputable hospital for systematic treatment by a doctor.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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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.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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The common sites of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma commonly occurs in the long tubular bones of the limbs, such as the femur, tibia, and humerus, especially near the joints of these long bones where the incidence is highest. In children, the distal femur and proximal tibia account for about three-quarters of all bone tumors. Osteosarcoma can also occur in the proximal humerus, the spine, and the ribs, although it is less common in these locations. The most frequent sites remain the long tubular bones in the limbs.

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Written by Kuang Tao
Orthopedics
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The main metastasis pathways of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a primary tumor of bone tissue. The tumor can metastasize through the bloodstream, lymphatic system, or nearby tissue. The most common site of metastasis for osteosarcoma clinically is to the lungs. Therefore, it is often recommended that patients undergo chest X-rays or even chest CT scans to detect any metastasis to the lungs.